■7 



March, iS«6 

MODERN PUBLICATIONS, 

AND 

NEW EDITIONS 

or 

VALUABLE STANDARD WORKS. 

PRINTED FOR 

M. CAREY, No. 121, CHESXUT STREET, 
PHILADELPHIA. 



VOYAGES TRAVELS, GEOGRAPHY AND 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

PERSONAL NARRATIVE of Travels to the EQUINOCTIAL RE- 
GIONS of the NEW CONTINENT between the years 1799—1804. By 
ALEXANDER DE HUMBOLDT, and AIME BONPLAND. Written in 
French, By ALEXANDER DE HUMBOLDT. 

And translated into English by HELEN MARIA WILLIAMS. 
In 8vo. Price 250 cents in Boards. 

" We congratulate the present age on having produced a traveller, armed 
at all points, and completely accomplished for the purpose of physical, 
moral, and political observation. In M. De Humboxdt we have an astrono- 
mer, a physiologist, a botanist, one versed in statistics, and political econo- 
my ; a metaphysician, an antiquary, and a learned philologist — possessing 
"at the same time the enlarged views, tbe spirit, and the tone of true plii- 
losophy. This assemblage of acquirements, so seldom found in the same 
individual, is in him accompanied with the most indefatigable activity ; with 
the zeal, the enterprise, and the vigour which are necessary to give them 
their full effect." Edinburgh Rev. Nov. 1814. 

TRAVELS in the INTERIOR of BRAZIL ; preceeded by an account 
of a voyage to the Rio de la Plata. By JOHN MA WE, 

Author of a Treatise on the Mineralogy of Derbyshire. In 1 Vol.. 8vo. illus- 
trated with plates, and a map. 

The principal part of this work relates to the interior of Brazil, where 
no Englishman was ever before permitted to travel, and particularly to 
the Gold and Diamond districts, which he investigated by order of the 
Prince Regent of Portugal. From the high sanction under which he began 
the undertaking, and the length of time he devoted to it, his narrative may 
be expected to throw considerable light on a rich and extensive colony, 
hitherto little explored, and at present highly interesting. 

"Of the knowledge, sagacity, skill and experience of this author as a 
mineralogist, we have before had the most honourable testimony, and this 
production cannot fail to add considerably to his reputation. It has also 
much of the recommendation of novelty, for the state of the mines of Bra- 
zil, and of the agriculture of the country, has hitherto been very imper- 
fectly known ; there is also perhaps in this volume, the most satisfactory 
account which we have hitherto had, of the unfortunate expedition against 
Buenos Ayres, by General Whitelocke, and the causes of its failure are im- 
partially detailed, and perspicuously explained : altogether we consider the 
work as a valuable addition to our geographical collections, and more par- 
-V "-' '.' A; "v ^1 '< '£! r.. ,,\ ' " i ; 



2 



PRINTED FOR M. CAREY, PHILADELPHIA, 



tieularly acceptable, as exhibiting what has not yet appeared in any Eu- ! 
glish publication, a scientific account of the diamond mines and diamond : 
works of this part of South Ameriea." British Critic, June, 1813. 

AN ACCOUNT of a VOYAGE to ABYSSINIA, and TRAVELS in 
the INTERIOR of that COUNTRY, executed under the orders of the 
British government, in the years 1809 and 1810 ; in which are included an : 
account' ot the PORTUGUESE SETTLEMENTS on the EASTERN 
COAST of AFRICA, visited in the course of the voyage ; a concise sum- I 
iriary of late occurrences in Arabia Felix ; and some particulars respect- 
ing the Aboriginal African Tribes, extending from Mozambique to the Jj 
borders of Egypt, together with vocabularies of their respective languages. I 

By HENRY SALT, Esq. F. R. S. &c. 

In 1 vol. 8vo. with a Map of Abyssinia. 
(In the press, and will be published in May,) 
Ci Mr. Salt was already known to the public as the companion of Lord 
Valentia, in his Eastern Travels, and this account of a new voyage to Abys- 
sinia has exalted and established his reputation as a sensible traveller, an 
elegant writer, and an able draughtsman." Monthly Magazine. 

A JOURNEY through PERSIA, ARMENIA and ASIA MINOR, to 
CONSTANTINOPLE, in the years 1808 and 1809, in which is included 
some account of the proceedings of HIS MAJESTY'S MISSION under 
>IR HARFORD JONES, Bart. K. C. to the Court of the King of Persia. 
By JAMES MOR1ER, 
His Majesty's Secretary of Embassy to the Court of Persia. 
In 1 vol, 8vo. with plates, and a Map. 
(In the press, and will be published in April.) 
" In the elegant work of Mr. Morier, we have an interesting report of the 
last of the English Embassies, under Sir Harford Jones. As Persia has not 
been described by an Englishman since the civil wars that followed the usur- 
pation of Nadir Shah, our curiosity was powerfully excited by the anounce- 
ment of Mr. Morier's work ; and wc can unreservedly declare that in its 
perusal, we have been abundantly gratified." Monthly Magazine, 1813. 

" The work before us is one of those which requires little reeommen- 
dktion,— for the respectable situation In life, and important office of Mr. 
Morier in the Embassy, sets the mind at perfect rest as to the authenti- 
city of the facts related ; and the modern state of Persia being but slightly 
&nown to us, we naturally feel an eager desire to read and be informed." 

Gentle?nan's Magazine. 
" Mr. Morier possesses spirit, activity and intelligence ; together with an 
eager desire of acquiring information, and truth and judgment in directing 
his attention to the most deserving objects. Critical Hevieiv. 

A TOUR THROUGH ITALY, exhibiting a view of its SCENERY, 
its ANTIQUITIES, and its MONUMENTS ; particularlv as they are OB- 
JECTS of CLASSICAL INTEREST and ELUCIDATION : with an ac- 
count of the present state of its Cities and Towns ; and occasional obser- 
vations on the recent spoliations of the French. 

By the Rev. JOHN CHETWODE EUSTACE. 
In 2 vols. 8vo. with plates. 
(In the press, and will be published in May.) 
" This is one of the best books of travels that has appeared since we be- ] 
gan our labours." Ed. JRev. JYc. XLII. p. 378. 

" Mr. Eustace is endowed with all the natural and acquired gifts and ad- : 
vantages, which fitted him for intimately knowing Italy and Italians." 

^Monthly Review, Feb. p. 11 i. 



VOYAGES, TRAVELS, GEOGRAPHY, &c. S 

u His religious sentiments and political principles are equally liberal." 

Quarterly Review, No. XTX. p. 223. 

"His description of local scenery is unrivalled." Crit. Rev, Jffliy, p. 49. 

"His classical taste displays itself with peculiar advantage and -uncommon 
felieityJ*' Quarterly Review, Ng. XIX. />. 241. 

" His style is pure and flowing." British Critic, April, p. 399. 

" This is a work that no person projecting a tour to Italy can hereafter be 
without." British Revieiv, No. X. p. 39-1. 

"It is a manual and guide to the whole country ; all Mr. Eustace's read- 
ing, all his inquiries, all his endeavours, appear to have been devoted to 
the study of this glorious theatre of ancient and modern exploits ; his vigi- 
lance is ever on the alert; his reasoning is unobstructed by prejudice ; and 
his work will improve the heart, while it interests the understanding." 

Mm, Rev. p. 116. 

" The philosopher, the poet, and the orator, may alike profit by the re- 
flections, the descriptions, and the style with which "this elegant Tourist has 
adorned and enriched his communications." Brit. Rev. No. X. p. 391. 

CAREY'S GENERAL ATLAS, improved. Being a collection of MAPS 
- c the WORLD and QUARTERS, their Kingdoms, States, fccc. contain- 

ilty-eight folio Maps, handsomely coloured. 1. The World ; 2. ditto; 

'cator's projection ; 3. North America ; 4. The British' Possessions in 
»ericu ; 5. The United States; 6. Vermont; 7. New-Hampshire ; 8. 
^oine ; 9. Massachusetts ; 10. Rhode-Island ; 11. Connecticut ; 12. New- 
York ; 13. New-Jersey; 14. Pennsylvania ; 15. Delaware ; 16. Maryland ; 
17. Virginia; 18. North-Carolina ; "l9. South-Carolina ; 20. Georgia ; 21. 
Kentucky ; 22. Tennessee ; 23. The Mississippi Territory ; 24. Ohio ; 25. 
The North Western, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana Territories ; 26. The 
State of Louisiana ; 27. The Missouri Territory ; 28. Seven Ranges of Town- 
ships laid out by Congress; 29. Mexico ; 30. The West Indies; 31. The 
French part of St. Domingo ; 32. South America ; 33. Caracas ; 34. Peru \ 
35. Chili and the vice-royalty of La Plata ; 36. Brazil ; 37. Europe ; 38. Swe- 
den, Denmark, and Norway ; 39. Russia ; 40. Scotland ; 41. England and 
Wales ; 42. Ireland ; 43. United Provinces and Netherlands ; 44. Germany ; 
45. France, divided into Departments ; 46. Hungary and Turke}' in Europe ; 
47. Spain and Portugal j 48. Italy ; 49. Switzerland ; 50. Poland ; 51. Asia ; 
52. China ; 53. Hindostan ; 54. Islands and Channels between China and New 
Holland; 55. New South Wales, with Norfolk Island, Lord Howe's Island,, 
Port Jackson, &c ; 56. Africa ; 57. Countries round the North Pole ; 58. 
Captain Cook's Discoveries. 

Price 15 dollars, handsomely half bound. 

SKETCHES, HISTORICAL and DESCRIPTIVE, of LOUISIANA. 
By Major AMOS STODDARD, Member of the U. S. M, P. S. 
and of the New York Historical Society. 
In 8vo. Price 3 dollars, in boards. 
''/This volume is divided into fourteen chapters, comprehending the his- 
tory of Louisiana and the Florid as ; their geography, government, laws, 
commerce, and manufactures, learning and religion. The chax^acter of the 
Louisianians, the state of slavery amongst them, the antiquities, the rivers, 
and mineral riches of that country ; a description of the aborigines, and the 
arguments in favour of the conjecture that this counti-y was settled by emi- 
gration from Wales, anterior to the discovery of Columbus, conclude the 
volume. 

" The style, although it assumes the character of humble narrative, is 
pure and chaste, and we cordially congratulate the author on the hardihood 
of character he has assumed, for such undoubtedly it is, in the present day, 
to be so unclassical as to write common sens*. He shows himself to be a 



4 PRINTED FOR M. CAREY, PHILADELPHIA. 

master of the materials that he manages, and, while conversing with his 
page, we have found ourselves seated with him hy the side of solitary riv- 
ers, plunging into the glooms of inextricable wildernesses, or climbing the 
heights of desart mountains, instead of forgetting all these and admiring the 
brilliancy of a paragraph. We wished to explore the regions of Louisia- 
na : and by the light of his lamp we have explored them." Port Folio. 

TRAVELS THROUGH THE CANADAS, containing a description of 
the picturesque scenery of some of the Rivers and Lakes, with an account 
of the Productions, Commerce and Inhabitants of those Provinces. 

BY GEORGE HERIOT, ESQ. 
In 12mo. Price 1 dollar, in boards. 

f ' Altogether we deem it one of the most curious publications that has of 
late appeared." •Monthly Mag. 

A VOYAGE TO THE DEMERARY, containing a statistical account of 
the settlements there, and of those on the Essequebo, the Berbice, and other 
contiguous Rivers of Guyana. By HENRY BOLINGBROKE Esq. 
In 8vo. Price 150 cents in boards. 

THE STRANGER'S GUIDE through PHILADELPHIA, containing 
a plan of the City, with an alphabetical list of all the Squares, Streets, Roads, 
Lanes, Alleys, Avenues, Courts, Ship-Yards, Public Buildings &c. in the 
City and Suburbs. By JOHN ADEMS PAXTON. 

In 12mo. Price 150 cents, handsomely hah bound. 

CAREY'S AMERICAN POCKET ATLAS, containing 23 Maps, viz. 1. 
United States ; 2. Vermont ; 3. N ew-Hampshire ; 4. Maine ; 5. Massachu- 
setts ; 6. Rhode-Island ; 7. Connecticut ; 8. New-York ; 9. New-Jersey ; _ 10. 
Pennsylvania ; 11. Delaware ; 12. Ohio ; 13. Maryland ; 14. Virginia ; 15. Ken- 
tucky ; 16. North-Carolina ; 17. Tennessee ; 18*. South-Carolina; 19- Geor- 
gia ; 20. Mississippi Territory ; 21. Upper Territories of the United States; 
22. Louisiana ; 23. Missouri Territory-. With a BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
of each STATE and TERRITORY. Also the Census of the Inhabitants 
of the United States for 1810, and the Exports for 20 years. 

4th. edition, greatly improved and enlarged. Price 2 dollars,' bound. 

" Much useful, geographical, and miscellaneous information is compressed 
into this pocket volume, and with the Maps it will be found a very convenient 
book for persons in general, and more particularly for those who are travel- 
ling in the United States. It is well printed, and the maps are neatly exe- 
cuted." American Meview and Literary Journal. 

THE AMERICAN MINOR ATLAS ; 4 to. containing the same Maps 
as the preceding. Price 150 cents, half bound. 

SCRIPTURE ATLAS, containing 10 4to. Maps, viz. 1. Journeyings of 
the Children of Israel from Rameses to the Land of Promise ; 2. Map ofCa- 
naan as promised to Abraham and his posterity ; 3. Map of Egypt ; 4. Map 
of the piaces recorded in the five Books of Moses ; 5. Map of Canaan in the 
time of Joshua; 6. Map of the purveyorships in the Reign of Solomon; 
7. Syria and Assyria ; 8. Map of the Dominions of Solomon ; 9. Map of the 
Land of Mdriah, or Jerusalem and the adjacent country ; 10. Map of the 
Travels of the Apostles. Price 150 cents haif bound. 

A GENER AL ATLAS, being a collection of MAPS of the WORLD and 
QUARTERS, their principal Empires, Kingdoms, &c. Containing 58 
Maps and Charts, viz. 1. The World ; 2. ditto Mercator's projection ; 3. 
North America ; 4. United States ; 5. Eastern States, with part of Canada ; 
6. Middle and Western States ; 7. Southern States ; 8. North Western 
Territories ; 9. Vermont; 10. New-Hampshire ; 11. Maine; 12. Massachu- 
setts; 13. Rhodt-Island ; 14. Connecticut ; 15. New-York ; 16. New-Jersey ; 
17. Pennsylvania ; 18. Delaware ; 19. Maryland ; 20. Virginia ; 21. North- 
Carolina; 22. South-Carolina ; 23. Georgia; 24. Kentuckv; 25. Tennessee ; 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



5- 



26. Mississippi Territory ; 27. Ohio : 28. Upper Territories; 29. Louisiana ; 
30. Missouri Territory ; 31. West Indies ; 32. Chart of do. ; 33. South 
America ; 34 Europe ; 35. Russia, Northern Part ; 35. Southern do ; 37. 
Sweden, Denmark, Norway ; 33. Poland ; 39. Scotland ; 40. England and 
Wales ; 41. Ireland ; 42. Netherlands ; 43. United Provinces ; 44. Ger- 
many ; 45. France ; 46. Switzerland ; 47. Italy; 48. Spain and Portugal? 
49 . Turkey in Europe ; 50. North Sea ; 51. Asia ; 52. Hindostan ; 53. 
Turkey in Asia ; 54. Islands between China and New Holland ; 55. New 
South Wales ; 56. Africa ; 57. Countries round the North Pole ; 58. Cap- 
tain Cook's Discoveries. In 4to. Price 5 dollars, half bound. 

SHEET MAPS of the UNITED STATES and of all the STATES and 
TERRITORIES. SOUTH AMERICA, Brazil, Chili, Peru, Caracas, Sec- 
Price 75 cents each, coloured. 

SHEET MAPS of EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, and the Kingdoms into 
which they are divided. Price 50 cents each, coloured. 

ATLAS MINIMUS, or a new set of POCKET MAPS of various 
EMPIRES, KINGDOMS, and STATES, with Geographical extracts 
relative to each. Drawn and Engraved by J. GIBSON. 

In 18mo. Price 1 dollar, half bound. 

THE TRAVELLERS DIRECTORY ; or, a POCKET COMPANION 
shewing the course of the Alain Road from Philadelphia to New York, and 
from Philadelphia to Washington, with descriptions of the places through 
which it passes, and the intersections of the cross roads. Illustrated with an 
account of such remarkable objects as are generally interesting to travellers, 
From actual survey. By S. S. MOORE a«d T. W. JONES. 

Second Edition. In 8vo. Price 2 dollars, bound. 

" The design and contents of this volume are fully expressed in the title 
page. The work is handsomely, and we believe, correctly executed. Every 
traveller on those roads will find it a useful and instructive companion. The 
plan of this directory is so judicious, that we hope the auihors may find it 
for their interest to extend it to other parts of the United States. 

Amer. Rev. and Lit. Jour, 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

HISTORY OF THE EARTH, AND ANIMATED NATURE. By 
OLIVER GOLDSMITH. A new edition, with corrections and additions^ 
By WILLIAM TURTON, M. D. 
Fellow of the Linntean Society. In 4 vols. 8vo. with 57 plates. 
(In the press, and will be published in July.) 

HISTORICAL MEMOIRS of MY OWN TIME, from 1772, to 1784 
By Sir NATHANIEL WBLLIAM WRAXALL. 
In 8vo. (In the press.) 

DR. RUSSEL'S HISTORY OF MODERN EUROPE, continued dow 
to the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. 

By CHARLES COOTE, L.L.D. 

The large annual impressions, which for more than thirty years were cal- 
led for to supply the demand for this excellent Work in England, may be 
considered conclusive evidence of its merits in the public estimation. During 
the author's life time, each succeeding edition was improved by himself :— - 
he lived to make it a perfect Compendium of Modern History, and has left 
it an honourable monument of his fame and talents. 

This work contains A ttrief View of the Decline and Fall of the Roman 
Empire. The Rise of Modern Kingdoms generally. A particular Hi3tory of 
she French Monarchy. A particular History of Spain from the Dominion e£ 

A % 



6 PRINTED FOR M. CAREY, PHILADELPHIA. 

the Visigoths. Italy, with the rise and progress of the Temporal power of the 
Popes, Britain — from its relinquishment by the Romans. Ireland. The 
German Empire — from Charlemagne. The Empire of Constantinople — till 
its overthrow. Empire of the Arabs. Rise and progress of the Turks, and 
fall of the Greek Empire. History of Portugal. View of the Progress of Navi- 
gation. Conquests in the East and West Indies. Discovery of America, &c. 
History of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Poland, and Prussia. North 
America — as connected with European History. The rise, progress, and ter- 
mination of the Revolutionary War of this Country. The progress and im- 
mense aggrandizement of the British power in India. The Wars of the 
French Revolution till ihe Treaty of Amiens. A very comprehensive and 
highly useful Chronology. 

Third American edition. In 5 vols. 8vo. Price 15 dollars, Bound. 

MEMOIRS &c. of GENERAL MORE A U, with a fac simile or his 
last letter to his wife, and an engraved plan of the passage of the Rhine 
at Strasbourg. By JOHN PHILIPPAltT, Esq. 

author of " Memoirs of Bernadotte," &c. &c. In 8vo. Price 2 dollars, in 
boards. 

" A faithful account is here given of the campaigns in Germany and Italy 
since 1794, as far as they relate to the operations of General Moreau ; also, 
a detailed account of the siege of Kehl, and the movements immediately pre- 
vious and subsequent to that event, from the celebrated work by General 
Dedon, published at Paris, and which is illustrated by a most correct map, 
describing every operation at the siege of Kehl, as well as the passage of the 
Rhine, effected by General Moreau in the environs of Strasbourg. 

" These, and every other event, connected with the public and private 
life of General Moreau, the author has' drawn together, and embodied with 
the utmost fidelity and circumspection." Ear. JMag. March, 1814. 

NAVAL HISTORY of the UNITED STATES, from the commence- 
ment of the REVOLUTIONARY WAR. By THOMAS CLARK. 
2nd. edition. In 2 vols. 12mo, Price 2 dollax-s, in boards. 

THE OLIVE BRANCH ; or, FAULTS ON BOTH SIDES, FED- 
ERAL and DEMOCRATIC. A serious Appeal on the Necessity of mu- 
tual Forgiveness and Harmony. By M. CAREY. 
Seventh edition-, enlarged. In 8vo. Price 275 cents, handsomely bound. 
u . Faction is the madness of the many for the benefit of a few." 
" Frenzied be the head — palsied be the hand — that attempts to destroy 
the union." Gen. Eaton, 

"Troths would you teach — or save a sinking land ; 
" Air feu; — none aid yon — and few understand." Pope. 
* Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to DESOLATION." 

Matt. xii. 25. 

" In dif-sensione nulla salus conspicitur." Caesar. 

" If we pay a proper regard to truth, Ave shall find it necessary not only 
to condemn our friends upon some occasions, and commend our enemies, but 
also to commend and condemn the same persons, as different circumstances 
may require ; for it is not to be imagined, that those who are engaged in 
great affairs, should always be pursuing false or mistaken measures ; so 
neither is it probable that their conduct can at all times be exempt from 
error. * Polybius. 

THE PARIS SPECTATOR ; or, L'HERMITE DE LA CHAUSSEE 
D'ANTIN. Containing Observations upon PARISIAN MANNERS and 
CUSTOMS at the Commencement of the Nineteenth Century. Translated 
from the French, By WILLIAM JERDAN. 

In 3 vols. 18mo. Price 225 cents, in Boards. 

This lively and entertaining View of the State of Society in Paris, at the 
most eventful period of its annals, obtained great celebrity in that City, and 



MISCELLANEOUS, 



h.\s been unanimously accorded a high rank among the periodical productions 
of French literature. The amusements, annoyances, pleasures, and discom- 
forts of a Paris fashionable life, are sketched with a humorous and witty 
hand ; nor has there ever issued from the press of that country, a more ani- 
mated and close imitation of our own exquisite Spectator. 

ENGLAND'S ; or the Military Energies of the Constitution. 

By JOHN CARTWRIGHT, Esq. 

"There were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the 
sword ; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand." Samuel. 
From the third London edition. (In the Press.) 

RULES AND REGULATIONS for the SWORD EXERCISE of the 
C A VALRY. By JOHN HEW ES . 

With 28 plates. In 8vo. Price 250 cents, bound. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE DRILL, and the method of performing 
the Nineteen Manoeuvres. By Lieut. JOHN RUSSELL. 

With 33 plates. In 12mo. Price 125 cents, in boards. 

THE AMERICAN MISCELLANY. Prose and verse. Original and 
Selected. In 2 vols. 12mo. Price 2 dollars, bound. 

AN ACADEMY FOR GROWN HORSEMEN. Containing the com- 
pletest Instructions for Walking, Trotting, Cantering, Galloping, Stum- 
bling, and Tumbling. By GEOFREY GAMBADO, Esq. 
Riding Master, Master of the Horse, and Grand Equerry to the Doge of 
Venice. 

Embellished with 12 Caricatures, from designs by Bunburj . In 12mo, 
Price 75 cents, in boards. 

" To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus, 

** And witch the world Avith noble Horsemanship.' 5 

" With great delight do Ave hail this satisfactory republication of a work 
originally published before our critical existence, but always the source of 
hearty merriment and gratification to us. The singular and truly original! 
humour of the writing, and the unrivalled burlesque of the plates, have al- 
ways made these books prime favourites, with all who had any relish for 
harmless wit and satire, by which no individual is hurt. Brit. Crit. 

THE MORAL MIRROR ; or, a LOOKING GLASS for Sots, Parasites, 
Gluttons, Clowns, Praters, Time-Servers, Pretenders, Knaves, Knights of 
the post, Atheists, Zealots, Hypocrites, he. he. selected from the « Char- 
acters," by BUTLER. Author of Hudibras. In 2imo. Price 50 cents, 
half bound. 

CHESTERFIELD TRAYESTIE ; or, SCHOOL FOR MODERN 
MANNERS. With 6 Caricatures from Drawings by ROWLANDSON. 
In 12mo. Price 63 cents, in boards. 

THE CRITvHNAL RECORDER ; or, an AWFUL BEACON to the 
RISING GENERATION of both Sexes, erected by the arm of Justice to 
persuade them from the dreadful Miseries of Guilt. Collected from au- 
thentic documents, By A FRIEND OF MAN. With 6 Engravings, 
In 12mo. Price 1 dollar, bound. 
Extract from the Preface. 

" The object of the editor of this volume, is to present to the heads of 
families in the United States, select and monitory stories of guilt and misery, 
in a form which may facilitate their precious labours in the domestic scene. 
The guardians, the directors, and the nearest friends of thoughtless childhood, 
and unreflecting youth may find, perhaps, that they cannot procure a more 
convenient auxiliary in the performance of those duties on which de- 
pend the peace of their families, and the reputation and happiness of the 
tender objects of their anxiou3 care." 



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THE HOUSE CARPENTER'S BOOK of PRICES, and Rules for Mea- 
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In 12mo. Price 75 cents, half bound. 

THE IMMORTAL MENTOR ; or, MAN'S UNERRING GUIDE to 
s Healthy, Wealthy and Happy life. In 3 parts. 

By LEWIS CORNARO, Dr. FRANKLIN, and Dr. SCOTT, 
Reason's whose pleasure, all the joys of sense 
Lie in three words— Health, Peace, and Competence, 
Blest health consists with temperance alone, 
And Peace, O Virtue ! peace is all thy own. Pope. 
In 12mo. Price 1 dollar, bound, 

A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY through France and Italy. 
By LAWRENCE STERNE. 
With 6 Engravings. In 18mo. Price 63 cents, bound. 

FARRIERY IMPROVED; or, a complete Treatise on the ART 0? 
FARRIERY. Wherein are fully explained the Nature and Structure of 
that useful creature, a Horse ; with the Diseases and accidents he is liable 
to ; and the methods of cure. Exemplified by 10 elegant cuts, each the 
full figure of a Horse. Describing all the various parts of that noble an- 
saimal. By HENRY BRACKEN M. D. 

In 18mo. Price 50 cents, half bound. 

REGUL ATIONS for the ORDER and DISCIPLINE of the TROOPS 
cf the UNITED STATES. By BARON STEUBEN. 

With plates. Price 50 cents, half bound. 

PRECEDENTS in the OFFICE of a JUSTICE of the PEACE. 
By COLLINSON READ, Esq. 
Foolscap 4to. Price 1 dollar, half bound. 
THE CLERKS' MAGAZINE and AMERICAN CONVEYANCERS 
ASSISTANT ; being a collection adapted to the United States, of the auost 
approved Precedents of Affidavits, Agreements, Covenants, Assignments, 
Awards, Bargains and Sales, Bonds, &c. &c. containing nearly double the 
number of such Precedents, usually inserted in similar publications. 
By HARRY TOULMIN, Secretary of the State of Kentucky. 
In 12mo. Price 1 dollar, bound. 

AMERIC AN CHRONOLOGY, from the DISCOVERY of the WES- 
TERN WORLD till May 3, 1813. By THOMAS CLARK, Author 
of Naval History of the United States. In 2imo. Price 25 cents, in 
boards. 

VOYAGES to LILLIPUT and BROBDINGNAG. 

By LEMUEL GULLIVER. 
In 18mo. with plates. Price 63 cents, half bound. 

DIVINITY. 

FAMrLY BIBLES, QUARTO, 
ivo. Coarse Paper, not lettered, 

1. Old and New Testaments, 

2. • and Psalms 

3. » and Apocrypha 

4. : Apocrypha and Psalms 

Coarse Paper, lettered a?id filleted. 
Sr8. Old and New Testaments, and Apocrypha 

5. Apocrypha' and 11 Plates 

6. — — — - — — Apocrypha and 25 Plates 

f« ■■ ■ ■ 1 ■ ■ ■ ■ » 1 »- Apocrypha, 11 Plates, and Psalms 



g3 75 
4 00 
4 25 
4 50 

4 50 

5 00 
5 50 

5 25 



DIVINITY. 

15. Old and New Testaments, Apocrypha and Concordance - 5 25 

16. — — — • — and Concordance - - 4 75 

19. _ ' „ <- Apociypha, Concordance, 25 Plates, ~? j qq 

and Ostervald's Notes 3 

52. . — s -* Apociypha and Psalms - 4 75 

S3; Apocrypha, Concordance,, and 25 Plates, 6 25 

Common Paper filleted. 

48. Old and New Testaments, - - - 4 25 

49. .. 1 . ■ - ■ and Apocrypha - = 4 75 

Common Paper, lettered and filleted. 
18. Old and New Testaments, - - - 4 50 

17. — — — — — Apocrvphf. Concordance, 25 Maps and 

Plates - - 7 50 

25. „ - , . — Apocrypha, Concordance, and 2 Maps 6 00 

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TRAVELS 



IN THE 



INTERIOR OF BRAZIL, 



PARTICULARLY IN 

THE GOLD AND DIAMOND DISTRICTS 

OF THAT COUNTRY, 

BY AUTHORITY OF THE PRINCE REGENT OF PORTUGAL 

INCLUDING 

A. VOYAGE TO THE RIO DE LA PLATA, 

AND AN 

HISTORICAL SKETCH OP THE REVOLUTION OF BUENOS AYRES. 
ILLUSTRATED WITH FIVE ENGRAVINGS, 



BY JOHN MAWE, 

AUTHOB OP « THE MINERALOGY OF DERBYSHIRE " 




PHILADELPHIA, 

PUBLISHED BY M. CAREY, No. 121, CHESNUT STREET, 
AND WELLS AND LILLY, BOSTON, 
1816. 



TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS 
THE PRINCE REGENT OF PORTUGAL, 

PRINCE OF BRAZIL, &c. &c. &c. 

Sir, 

~JJ"NDER the sanction of Your Royal Highness, j 
performed the Travels in your dominions of Brazil, 
of which the following is a Narrative : in obedience to 
the command with which Your Royal Highness ho- 
noured me on my departure from Rio de Janeiro^ I now 
submit it to the Public. 

Unbiassed either by partiality or prejudice, I have 
endeavoured to give a clear and faithful relation of what 
I have seen. In describing the present state of Mining 
and Agriculture in your dominions, I have taken the 
liberty to suggest some improvements, which, in my 
humble opinion, would tend to increase the revenue of 
Your Royal Highness, and multiply the resources of 
the country. These are the principal grounds on which 
I rest my hope, that the work, notwithstanding its im- 
perfections, will be found not unworthy of being patro- 
nized by a Prince, whose happiness consists in promot- 
ing that of his subjects. 



( iv ) 



On this occasion I cannot but express the deep regret 
I feel at the decease of that excellent member of Your 
Royal Highness's cabinet, the Conde de Lin hares, 
whose goodness and greatness of mind encouraged every 
pursuit tending to the public advantage, with a zeal 
which true patriotism alone could inspire. Had he 
lived, I might have presumed on his receiving these 
pages with that kind and friendly partiality which ever 
distinguished his conduct towards me. Bereft of that 
Nobleman's protection, I stand unsupported before Your 
Royal Highness, to whose patronage I submit this work, 
as a testimonial of the high respect with which I have 
the honour to be. 

Your Royal Highness's most obliged 

and most humble servant, 

JOHN MA WE. 



CONTENTS 



CHAP. I 



VOYAGE to Cadiz, and thence to the Rio de la Plata. — Misfortunes at 
Monte Video, — Character of the inhabitants. — Trade. — Geological 
Remarks. 9 

CHAP. II. 

■Journey to Barriga Negra. — Geology of the Country. — Limestone, and 
Mode of burning it.— Horned Cattle.— Peons.— Horses.— Defective 
State of Agriculture. — Manners of the Inhabitants. — Dress. — Wild 
Animals.— Monte-Video taken by the British. — My Return thither. 26 

CHAP. m. 

Expedition against Buenos Ayres. — Causes of its Failure. — Account 
of the Population of the Country, and of the various Classes which 
compose it 43 



CHAP. IV. 

Voyage to St. Catherine's. — Description of that Island, and of the 
Coast in its Vicinity. — Arrival at Santos, and Journey thence to 
St. Paul's 53 

CHAP. V. 

Description of St. Paul's. — System of Farming prevalent in its Neigh- 
bourhood. — Excursion to the Gold-Mines of Jaragua. — Mode of 



working them.— Return to Santos ..... 73 

CHAP. VI. 

Coasting Voyage from Santos to Zapitiva, and Journey thence to Rio 
de Janeiro - 94 

CHAP. VII. 

Description of Rio de Janeiro.— Trade.— State of Society.— Visit to 

the Prince Regent's Farm at Santa Cruz .... 105 



( vi ) 



CHAP. VIII. 



Journey to Canta Gallo - - - 119 

CHAP. IX. 

Description of Canta Gallo.— Of the Gold-washing of Santa Rita — 

Account of the supposed Silver-Mine - 126 

CHAP. X. 

Permission obtained to visit the Diamond Mines. — Account of a 
pretended Diamond presented to the Prince Regent Journey to 
Villa Rica - - - 145 



CHAP. XI. 

Origin and present State of Villa Rica.— Account of the Mint.— Visit 
to the City of Mariana.— Excursion to the Fazendas of Barro and 
Castro, belonging to His Excellency the Conde de Linhares - 179 



CHAP. XU. 

Journey f Villa Rica to Tejuco, the Capital of the Diamond 
District 210 



CHAP. Xlll. 

Visit to the Diamond Works on the River Jigitonhonha.— General 
Description of 'he Works. — Mode of Washing. — Return to Tejuco. 
—Visit to the Treasury. — Excursion to Rio Pardo. — Miscellaneous 



Remarks - - - - - - - - 227 

CHAP XIV. 

Some Account of the Districts of Minas Novas and Paracatu.— Of 
the large Diamond found in the River Abaite - 246 

CHAP XV. 

Observations on Tejuco and Cerro do Frio .... 255 
CHAP. XVI. 

General View of Minas Geraes - - - - - - 275 



( vii ) 



CHAP. XVII. 

Brief Notices on the Capitanias of Bahia, Pernambuco, Seara, Maran> 
ham, Para, and Goyaz - 280 

CHAP. XVIII. 

Geographical Description of the Capitania of Matto Gross© - SO.Q 
CHAP. XIX. 

Account of the Capitania of Rio Grande - 325 
CHAP. XX. 

General Observations on the Trade from England to Brazil - 331 

APPENDIX. .. -. * , S46 



TRAVELS, cSjc 



CHAPTER I. 



Voyage to Cadiz and thence to the Rio de la Plata.-— 
Misfortunes at Monte Video. — Character of the In- 
habitants. — Trade. — Geological Remarks* 

A TRAVELLER who ventures to present his Nar- 
rative to the Public, is generally encouraged by 
the conviction that it contains novel and interesting in- 
formation. This is my case ; and I beg leave, before 
I begin my story, briefly to state the subject of it to 
the Reader, in order that he may perceive the grounds 
on which it claims his attention. 

In ,the year 1804, I was induced to undertake a 
voyage of commercial experiment, on a limited scale, 
to the Rio de la Plata. On my arrival at Monte Video 9 
the ship and cargo were seized ; I was thrown into 
prison, and afterwards sent into the interior, where I 
was detained until the taking of that place by the British 
troops under Sir Samuel Auchmuty. I afterwards ob- 
tained leave to accompany the army under General 
Whitelocke, which was sent against Buenos Ayres, 
and I rendered such services to the expedition as my 
two years' residence in the country enabled me to per- 
form. At the termination of that expedition, I went to 
Rio de Janeiro. A letter of introduction to the Viceroy 

B 



10 



TRAVELS m THE 



of Brazil, which was given me by the Portuguese am - 
bassador at London, gained me the notice and protection 
of his brother, the Conde de Linhares, who had then 
just arrived with the rest of the court, and who recom- 
mended me to the Prince Regent, as a person devoted 
to mineralogical pursuits, and desirous of exploring the 
ample field for investigation, which his rich and exten- 
sive territories presented. His Royal Highness was 
graciously pleased to further my views, not only by 
granting me letters to the public functionaries of the va- 
rious places I wished to visit, but by ordering an escort 
of soldiers, and every other necessary provision for per- 
forming the journey = I had the more reason to be 
grateful for this munificent patronage, because I knew 
that a decree existed prohibiting all foreigners from 
travelling in the interior of Brazil, and that no other 
Englishman had ever begun such an undertaking with 
those indispensable requisites to its success, the permis- 
sion and sanction of the Government. 

Observations, made, in the course of these Travels, 
oil the country and on its inhabitants, constitute the 
main part of the volume now offered to the public. 
Whatever be their faults or their merits, they relate to a 
subject at present extremely interesting, both in a poli- 
tical and a commercial point of view ; they profess to 
develope the physical resources of a colony, which 
through recent changes, is likely to become an empire ; 
and inpart, to pourtray the character of a nation which is 
now the most ancient, and has ever been the most faith- 
ful, ally of Great Britain. 

In the year before- mentioned, pursuant to my design 
of visiting the Rio de la Plata, I obtained His Majesty's 
licence to go thither in a vessel (my own property, by 
a bottomry -bond) under Spanish colours, a precaution 
rendered necessary by our being at war with France, 
and by the hourly expectation of a rupture with Spain. 
My licence was, strictly speaking, a special one, " pro- 
" tecting all I had on board the Spanish vessel, if, in 
" case of a rupture with Spain, she should be taken by 
" any of our ships of war, privateers/' &x. I sailed on 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



11 



the first of August 1804, and after a fair voyage arrived 
at Cadiz. It there became necessary to conform to the 
colonial regulations of the government, which require 
that all articles of merchandize sent to South America 
be landed and entered at the Custom-House, where, on 
payment of a fee, they receive the necessary marks to 
make them pass for produce or manufactures of the mo- 
ther-country. During my stay in this port occurred that 
unfortunate capture of trie homeward-bound frigates by 
the British squadron off Cape Finisterre ; which, as may 
naturally be supposed, rendered the situation of an Eng- 
lishman in Cadiz extremely embarrassing. War soon 
broke out between the two countries, and this port was 
rigorously blockaded. In addition to the ills which 
befel me in consequence, I was near falling a victim to 
the plague which was then raging, and which swept 
away almost a fourth part of the inhabitants of Cadiz, of 
Gibraltar, and of other places in that region. The effects 
of this awful scourge were visible in every social circle ; 
almost in every family ; and perhaps the despondency 
caused by witnessing them, contributed to extend its 
fatal sway. I still shudder to remember, that of a party 
of strangers, amounting to five (myself included,) who 
took coffee together one Saturday evening in perfect 
health, I, on the Monday- week following, was the sole 
survivor. The progress of the disorder was so rapid, 
that three of them died on the fourth day. It would be 
tedious to detail the particulars of my own case ; but a 
short account of it will not perhaps be without its use to 
those who may, at any future time, be exposed to similar 
danger. 

The first symptoms I felt were extreme lassitude, 
heaviness, and tremor, accompanied with a considerable 
degree of fever, which I first observed while on my way 
to dine with a friend. I returned to my lodgings and 
took a grain of calomel, as had been my daily custom 
for some time. This precaution had been suggested to 
me by a skilful chemist in London, who furnished me 
with a quantity of that medicine, to be regularly taken 
whenever I was exposed to contagion of any kind. Be* 



12 



TRAVELS IN THE 



lieving, however, that my complaint was only a bad cold, 
I took some tea and retired to bed, but passed a restless 
night. In the morning while at breakfast among the 
Spanish family with whom I lodged, my appearance, and 
aversion to food, excited the apprehensions of the lady 
of the house, a humane and (to use an expressive family- 
phrase) motherly woman, who assured me that I had 
the plague. Unwilling to believe her, though contin- 
ually growing worse, I increased my dose of calomel 
and took tea very copiously. In the afternoon of the day 
following I wrote to the worthy Mr. Duff, the consul- 
general, requesting him to send Dr. Fife, an English 
physician, who, visiting me, confirmed what my hostess 
had said, adding however that the symptoms were fa- 
vourable. He prescribed no medicines, but ordered me 
to take tamarinds and hot mint tea at intervals in large 
quantities. After a third restless night, I found my pulse 
was above 130, and the fourth day brought the crisis of 
my disorder. At night I was suddenly seized with ex- 
treme sickness, which lasted the longer, by reason of the 
great quantities of liquid I had taken ; a profuse perspi- 
ration ensued, and did not abate until I was reduced from 
a robust habit of body to a state of extreme meagreness 
and debility. I now recovered rapidly, and in six days 
was enabled to visit my friends. Dr. Fife assured me 
that the favourable turn of my illness was owing to the 
calomel I had previously taken, and added, that if I had 
doubled the dose on the first appearance of the symptoms, 
there would, probably, have been no occasion for his at- 
tendance. 

War being now formally declared, the port of Cadiz 
was blockaded with greater rigour than ever, and I had 
many difficulties to encounter in preparing to continue 
my voyage. The ill conduct of my captain threw addi- 
tional obstacles in my way, and gave me doubts respect- 
ing his character and experience, which in the sequel 
proved but too well-founded. At length the cargo, hav- 
ing passed the Custom- House conformably to the under- 
stood conditions, was safely embarked, and in the latter 
end of March 1805 we sailed. Our crew consisted 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



13 



wholly of Genoese and Catalans, with the exception of 
the pilot, a Biscayan, and one good Portugueze sailor. 
As might naturally be expected, we were detained by 
one of the blockading squadron, the Amphion, an officer 
belonging to which, accompanied me to the Admiral, 
Sir John Orde, who, after examining my papers, treated 
me with every civility, and gave me a certificate directing 
all ships of war, &c. of his squadron not to molest us, 
but to render us, if necessary, all the assistance in their 
power. This protection was of service to us some days 
afterwards, when we were boarded by the Mercury fri- 
gate, but, on exhibition of our documents, immediately 
permitted to proceed. On another occasion, however, 
it availed us but little ; we were detained by a cutter 
privateer from Guernsey, manned by a set of ruffians, 
whose captain, after occupying me for two hours with 
his insults and menaces, at length suffered me to pursue 
my voyage. It is scarcely necessary to advert to another 
detention within four leagues of Santa Cruz in Teneriffe 
by the Tartar lugger, also from Guernsey, unless for the 
sake of contrasting the handsome treatment I expe- 
rienced from its commander, with the brutal conduct 
of the other Guernsey -man. 

We touched at Santa Cruz solely for the purpose of 
taking in water, having sailed from Cadiz with a strong 
Levant or easterly wind, which, as it was a rare advan- 
tage, did not allow us time to lay in a stock for the 
voyage. During our short stay here, I was permitted, 
after undergoing an examination, to collect some geolo- 
gical specimens ; they were all of the volcanic species, 
intermixed with olivin and augite. 

Continuing our course to the southwards, we had for 
some days a strong trade wind, but were afterwards ex- 
posed to a succession of those calms which frequently 
prevail between the 7th and 2d degrees of latitude north 
of the line. The tediousness of these delays was in some 
degree diverted by immense shoals of bonitos, albicores, 
and flying-fish ; numbers of the latter frequently darted 
against our sails and fell on board ; they afforded excel- 
lent eating. The quantity of bonitos we caught filled 



14 



TRAVELS IN TH£i 



all our empty barrels, and as our ballast was salt, we 
easily preserved them. Their flesh being coarse and 
dry, cannot be relished without good sauce, and for 
this reason we threw away all except the choice parts. 
Our attention was constantly engaged by the numbers 
of these lively fish swimming and darting in all direc- 
tions, and by the efforts of the poor defenceless flying- 
fish to avoid them. The latter, leaping out of the water 
for safety, frequently fell into their pursuers' mouths, 
which were ever erect and open to receive their prey. 
At night the vivid phosphorescent appearance of these 
countless shoals, ever in quick motion, bore a near re- 
semblance to that of a fire-brand whirled violently about. 
They attended our course for twelve or fourteen days, 
and at length forsook us, much to our regret, as they had 
so long constituted our sole amusement. 

Wearied and exhausted by frequent calms under a 
vertical sun, we were at length relieved by a breeze ; and 
crossing the line at longitude 23° W. had a favourable 
passage to the mouth of the great river Plata, our en- 
trance into which we were enabled to judge from the 
muddy colour of the water, and from numerous flights 
of sea-birds, long before we saw land. 

Our passage was impeded by a strong south-west 
gale, in these parts called a Pampero, which blew for 
several days, and obliged us to lay die vessel to during 
the whole time ; we shipped so much water that our 
boats were hourly in danger of being washed away, 
and, owing to the stupid carelessness of a Genoese sailor, 
our cabin was at one time half- filled. The gale at 
length ceased ; a breeze sprung up to the eastward, 
and we made all possible sail : after running a south- 
west course for two days, we found soundings at thirty- 
five fathoms water, and on the second day following 
at noon, saw the high land of Maldonado at a distance 
of about nine leagues, and the Isle of Lobos four 
or five leagues ahead. Passing through the channel 
which divides them, we encountered a strong breeze, 
and soon afterwards found ourselves in a very critical 
situation ; a dark night, a heavy and increasing gale of 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



15 



wind, the violent uncertain currents of the river, the 
English bank to the south, and the Isle of Flores to the 
west north-west. The captain knew nothing of the na- 
vigation, and I was obliged to command instead of ad- 
vising. I caused the vessel to be laid to, under the 
smallest and most manageable sail possible ; kept the 
lead continually going, and wore the vessel every two 
hours. The night was one of the most dreadful I ever 
witnessed ; the moon was over-cast by heavy black 
clouds pouring torrents of rain, accompanied with ter- 
rible lightning and loud thunder ; the waves, owing to 
the shallowness of the water (seven and eight fathoms,) 
appeared like breakers. At daylight our prospect was 
not much bettered ; a dense fog hindered us from seeing 
at all beyond the vessel, and the conflict of the wind 
with the current rendered the w T aves still more boisterous. 
In the course of the morning the thunder moderated, 
but the stormy rain continued ; no object was distinctly 
visible ; hidden rocks and sand banks lay on each 
side of us ; and we were approaching a channel not a 
mile wide, rendered more formidable by a strong and 
ever- shifting current. In consequence of incessant exer- 
tion I was in a most exhausted state, but the captain and 
crew were incapable of affording me a moment's res- 
pite ; danger seemed to have deprived them of their rea- 
son, and they looked on all that passed with a fearful 
and senseless apathy. I had often had occasion to ob- 
serve the intrepid constancy and activity of British 
seamen in similar emergencies, and I could not but 
be struck with the contrast. We shipped several heavy 
seas which had the appearance of broken -water, and 
hence it again became necessary to keep the lead conti- 
nually going. At eleven A. M. on finding that we 
shoaled our water extremely fast, being already in four 
fathom and over very hard ground, I was convinced that 
we were at the head of the English bank, and therefore 
immediately wore on the other tack toward the island of 
Flores. The fog prevented us from taking a meridional 
observation, but at three P M. it cleared, and to our 
great joy we saw Monte Video before us at four leagues 



16 



TRAVELS IN THE 



distance. Our seamen now took heart, and began to be 
more expert ; we made all sail : but, the wind gradually 
declining, and a strong current setting directly from the 
harbour, we were obliged in the evening to let go our 
anchor about two leagues outside the port. Night set 
in, accompanied by heavy gusts of wind, which 
required me to be constantly upon deck, as Spanish sea- 
men know nothing that belongs to an anchor- watch, 
and heartily grudge the care and labour that it demands. 
Hence they did not fail to bestow ill-natured sneers and 
gibes on me and my nation for the trouble I caused 
them, in calling them up to let go another anchor, little 
reflecting that had it not been ready ere they left the 
deck, we should in all probability have been wrecked. 
Another twenty-four hours of unfavourable weather en- 
sued, and on the day following we entered the harbour 
of Monte Video. 

The hardships I experienced in reaching this ill-fated 
port, were a fit prelude to the misfortunes that awaited 
me there. We were bound for Buenos Ayres ; but my 
captain, who in London and at Cadiz assured me that he 
had the experience of a pilot in the Rio de la Plata, 
proved totally ignorant of its navigation, and urged this 
circumstance as his reason for putting into Monte Vi- 
deo. Happy should I have been, if this had been the 
only instance of his ignorance ; he gave an ill-judged 
apd blundering report of me to the governor, and the 
sailors affirmed that I was an Englishman, declaring at 
the same time that we had passed an English squadron 
under Spanish colours. This statement was enough to 
whet the avarice of the governor, who, notwithstanding 
I had served the colony, in bringing a cargo which was 
then wanted, and every article of which had paid legal 
duty in Cadiz, ordered me to be thrown into prison. I 
was placed in close confinement on board a wretched 
sloop of war ; and though my health was much im- 
paired in consequence of exertion during the voyage, I 
was denied every comfort, except such indulgences as 
the officers, who lived on shore, could at times clan- 
destinely allow. Unprovided with letters of recommen- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



17 



dation to any person in the town, and destitute of the 
means of making myseif known, I had the mortifica- 
tion to see the property I had brought with me seized, 
and my papers taken away to be searched and examin- 
ed. I was enjoined to make declarations, and to give 
evidence against myself, to men whose sole wish was to 
find a pretext for criminating me. After three or four 
examinations, it was found that I had sailed from Cadiz 
with a cargo of goods, marked, manifested, and duly 
registered, as Spanish ; nor could any circumstance be 
discovered as a ground of accusation against me, but 
the strong suspicion that I was an Englishman, and on 
that account could not be too harshly treated. I had 
no lenity to expect from the governor, nor indeed from 
any of his advisers, who were, for the most part, men 
of the lowest order, refugees from old Spain, in conse- 
quence of criminal prosecutions. The rest of his asso- 
ciates were the captains and officers of two Spanish 
privateers, all Frenchmen, whose natural prejudices, no 
doubt, contributed to foment his antipathy against me. 
My sole reliance was on the consignee of the cargo, 
who at length arrived from Buenos Ayres ; but instead 
of clearing up the affair, he joined my persecutors, 
knowing that if he gave security he should have the 
cargo delivered to him. This favourable opportunity he 
failed not to embrace ; he sold the property and with- 
held the proceeds under the pretext, that he could not 
pay them over to me while I remained a prisoner. This 
conduct to one who had depended on him for support, 
and who relied on his continually delusive promises of 
assistance, proves him to be one of those mean and 
spiritless beings whose station in society is mid- way be- 
tween the simpleton and the knave. 

My confinement would probably have been long, but 
for the good services of a Limenian who attended me 
during my illness in Cadiz, and who came over in the 
vessel with me. He was the only person I was permit- 
ted to see ; and he interested himself so much in my 
behalf that an old gentlewoman with whom he had form- 
ed an acquaintance, determined, on hearing my story, 

C 



18 



TRAVELS IN THE 



to procure my liberation, and never rested until she had 
procured two bondsmen to answer for my appearance 
when called for. 

The treatment I experienced while in prison, is one 
of the many instances of oppression which disgraced the 
administration of the governor, Pasqual Ruis Huidobro, 
It is well known that his political conduct w 7 as entirely 
subservient to the interests of the French, and that he 
lost no opportunity of evincing his attachment to their 
cause. As a further proof of this, I may state, that 
he caused all the captured English seamen to be confin- 
ed in the prison, and, although its spacious court was 
doubly grated and guarded, he debarred them the use 
of it, and ordered them to be shut up night and day in 
a small room, the door of which was never opened ex- 
cept when victuals were given them. 

Aware of his severity, and knowing that I was the 
only prisoner at large, I was very circumspect, and 
strove to guard my conduct and discourse against art- 
ful misconstruction ; but I had the misfortune to incur 
his displeasure at a moment when I least suspected it 3 
by a very trivial, and certainly unintentional offence, 
Some written papers had been stuck up in various parts 
of the town, by order of Government, inviting foreign 
seamen to enter the service. Returning home at mid- 
night from a visit, I observed one of these placards ^ 
the rain, which was pouring very fast, had partly de- 
tached it from the wall, and it was blown to and fro by 
the wind. Curious to examine the contents of a paper 
that had attracted the attention of many persons in the 
course of the day, I took it down and carried it home 
with me ; this was observed by an old Spaniard of the 
name of Dias, who gloried much in having it in his 
power to injure me, though a perfect stranger to him, 
and unconscious of having done any thing to excite his 
malice. At the instance of this man an order was issu- 
ed by the governor for my arrest ; I was roused from 
my bed by the officers, and again hurried to prison. 
What charges were brought against me I could learn 
only by report ; they were vague and indefinite, and no 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



19 



opportunity of answering them was allowed. After a 
close confinement of six weeks, during which period 
my case was laid before the Viceroy of Buenos Ayres, 
I was again suffered to be at large on payment of a fee 
of three hundred dollars. It was to the humane exer- 
tions of my advocate, seconded by those of the Lime- 
nian and the lady before-mentioned, that I owed this 
mitigation of my captivity, and I gratefully acknow- 
ledge that thej' made every provision in their power 
to render my situation comfortable. 

During my stay at Monte Video another adventure 
befel me, which had well nigh cost me my life ; I am 
induced to relate it, by reason of the insight it gives into 
the character of a certain class of the people. I had 
gone on a shooting excursion to the promontory oppo- 
site Monte Video, with my much-valued friend Captain 
Collet, owner of two or three large American ships, and 
M. Godefroy, a merchant, resident in the town. After 
some hours sport we met a party of four Spaniards, 
among whom were Mr. Ortiga, the consignee of Captain 
Collet, and a person called Manuel d'lago. Our friend 
M. Godefroy had some, conversation with them at a 
short distance from us, and on his return gave us to un- 
derstand that D'lago had said it would not cost him 
above five hundred dollars to send a pair of bullets 
through me, and that had I been alone he would not 
have scrupled to do it. For this blood-thirsty insinua- 
tion I was at a loss to conjecture any motive, nor knew 
I the man, except by report, which designated him as a 
captain of militia, extremely rigorous in his treatment 
of the unfortunate English, whenever his turn to mount 
guard at the prison subjected them to his authority. 

We pursued our diversion ; he and his party mean- 
while arrived at the Signal-house, about three miles 
above us, w r here they took refreshment. Some space 
of time afterwards we observed a horse-soldier ride down 
towards us, who on approaching eyed us with a look of 
great suspicion. I had some little talk with him, having 
frequently seen him there before. He returned directly 
to the Guard-house, and an hour afterwards five blan- 



20 



TRAVELS IN THE 



dengues, or horse-soldiers, sallied from the place at full 
speed, and, surrounding us, demanded our arms at the 
peril of our lives. Each of us obeyed, by surrendering 
his fowling-piece, M. Godefroy at the same time enquir- 
ing the cause of this extraordinary treatment ; but they 
ordered him to be silent, and to march on along with us, 
or they would tie him on horse-back. We were con- 
ducted to the Guard-house, and delivered (the officer 
being absent) to the corporal on guard, a fiery old 
Spaniard, who ordered us into an inner room and placed 
two sentinels at the door. The fellow was so stifled 
by passion, that we could not get an answer from him ; 
at every moment he was drawing a long sabre which 
hung at his side, and venting his fury in the most 
abusive language. After a full half-hour of expostula- 
tion on our part, and menace on his, M. Godefroy 
obtained a hearing from him, and, declaring that he was 
a merchant, married and actually settled in Monte Video, 
begged to know by what authority and under what pre- 
text he was imprisoned. The corporal, on learning this s 
sent a soldier to the officer on guard, and while waiting 
his return, related thatD'Iago had described us as Eng- 
lishmen belonging to a privateer, who had landed with 
an intention to blow up the powder-magazines, kill 
bullocks, and plunder the natives. It was evident from 
his manner that he was very willing to believe this 
account, and that by treating us with severity he hoped 
to display his zeal for the service, and obtain promotion, 
M. Godefroy 's testimony being at length attended to, 
another soldier was dispatched to D'lago's party, who 
were not yet embarked, with notice that one of us affirm- 
ed himself to be a resident in Monte Video. This they 
did not contradict, but persisted m K their accusations of 
the rest of our party ; Mr. Ortiga denied any knowledge 
of Captain Collet, probably imagining that, in case of 
our conviction, he should benefit by the cargoes which 
the latter had consigned to him ; and for me, whom they 
denounced- as a spy, ho punishment in their opinion 
could be too ignominious. On the return of the soldier. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



21 



the corporal thought proper to release M. Godefroy, 
who took our boat to cross the port to Monte Video 
with the intention of procuring an order for our libera- 
tion ; but they had scarcely sailed when a gust of wind 
arose, and as he and the two boys he had with him 
could not manage the sails, they were nearly overset, and 
after considerable danger were picked up by a ship in 
the road. Meanwhile Captain Collet and I remained in 
strict custody, and at every syllable of complaint we 
uttered, the corporal brandished his sabre over our heads, 
roared out for the guard, and vociferated the most op- 
probrious language against the English. Thus threa- 
tened at every moment with assassination, we withdrew 
into a corner of the room, and quietly waited until the 
officer on guard arrived, when we were conducted in 
great form, between two men with drawn swords, into 
the room where he sat to receive us. Nothing could 
exceed my joyful surprize at recognizing in the officer 
an excellent and worthy friend, whom I had often 
visited at his chacara or farm, and who had given me 
repeated proofs of his liberal disposition and intelligent 
mind. His surprize exceeded mine ; for instead of 
plunderers or spies, such as report rTad described us, he 
found an American merchant and a prisoner at large 
under bail. He was deeply grieved and ashamed at the 
treatment we had met with, liberated us immediately, 
mounted us on his own horses, and appointed a trusty 
person to attend us to Monte Video, where we arrived 
at eight in the evening. The disappointment of the cor- 
poral appeared as deep as his rage had been violent ; 
and the recollection of his conduct operated on us as a 
warning against persons of his class, who rarely see an 
opportunity of doing mischief to a stranger without a 
strong inclination to avail themselves of it. 

Daring the time I was at large, I had leisure to ac- 
quire some knowledge of Monte Video. It is a to- 
lerably well-built town, standing on a gentle elevation 
at the extremity of a small peninsula, and is walled 
entirely round. Its population amounts to between 
15,000 and 20,000 souls. The harbour, although 



22 



TRAVELS IN THE 



shoal, and quite open to the pamperos, is the best in the 
Rio de la Plata : it has a very soft bottom of deep mud. 
When the wind continues for some time at north-east, 
ships drawing twelve feet water are frequently a-ground 
for several days, so that the harbour cannot be called 
a good one for vessels above three hundred or four hun- 
dred tons. 

There are but few capital buildings ; the town in 
general consists of houses of one story, paved with 
brick, and provided with very poor conveniences. In 
the square is a cathedral, very handsome, but awkwardly 
situated ; opposite to it ; is an edifice divided into a town- 
house or cabildo, and a prison. The streets, having no 
pavement, are always either clouded with dust or loaded 
with mud, as the weather happens to be diy or wet. In 
seasons of drought the want of conduits for water is 
a serious inconvenience, the well, which principally sup- 
plies the town, being two miles distant. 

Provisions here are cheap and in great abundance. 
Beef in particular is very plentiful, and, though rarely 
fat or fine, makes excellent soup. The best parts of 
the meat may, indeed, be called tolerable, but they are 
by no means tender. The pork is not eatable. Such 
is the profusion of flesh-meat, that the vicinity for two 
miles round, and even the purlieus of the town itself, 
present filthy spectacles of bones and raw flesh at every 
step, which feed immense flocks of sea-gulls, and in 
summer breed myriads of flies, to the great annoyance 
of the inhabitants, who are obliged at table to have a 
servant or two continually employed in fanning the 
dishes with feathers, to drive away those troublesome 
intruders. 

Of the character of the inhabitants of Monte Video, 
I am perhaps not qualified to speak impartially, having 
been treated with unmerited harshness, deprived of my 
property, and repeatedly persecuted on the most ground- 
less suspicion. These abuses, however, are solely 
chargeable on the governor and on the persons imme- 
diately under his influence ; and I am bound in fairness 
to avow that I did not perceive any disposition in the 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



23 



generality of the people to injure or oppress me. From 
individuals in the town I received all the assistance 
which disinterested benevolence could afford to a person 
in my critical situation ; and were I, from the impulse of 
gratitude, to judge of the whole by a part, I should say, 
that the inhabitants of Monte Video, particularly the 
Creolians, are humane and well disposed, when not 
actuated by political or religious prejudices. Their 
habits of life are much the same with those of their 
brethren in Old Spain, and seem to proceed from the 
same remarkable union of two opposite but not incom- 
patible qualities, indolence and temperance. The ladies 
are generally affable and polite, extremely fond of dress, 
and very neat and cleanly in their persons. They adopt 
the English costume at home, but go abroad usually in 
black, and always covered with a large veil or mantle. 
At mass they invariably appear in black silk, bordered 
with deep fringes. They delight in conversation, for 
which their vivacity eminently qualifies them, and they 
are very courteous to strangers. 

The chief trade of Monte Video consists in hides, 
tallow, and dried beef ; the two former of these articles 
are exported to Europe, and the latter is sent to the West 
Indies, especially to the Havannah. Coarse copper 
from Chili in square cakes is sometimes shipped here, 
as well as an herb called Matte from Paraguay, the 
infusion of which is as common a beverage in these 
parts as tea is in England. 

The inhabitants were by no means opulent before the 
English took the garrison, but through the misfortunes 
of the latter at Buenos Ay res, and the losses of our com- 
mercial adventurers by ill-judged and imprudent specu- 
lations, they were considerably enriched. The great 
prospects indulged in England, before the expedition to 
la Plata, of immense profits by trade to that river, have 
generally ended in ruin ; very few, indeed, of the specu- 
lators have escaped without considerable loss. Pro- 
perty, once litigated, might be considered in a fair way 
for confiscation ; and in case of its having been deposited 
until certain questions were decided, restitution was ge- 



24 



TRAVELS IN THE 



nerally obtained at the loss of one half. It frequently 
happened that goods detained in the Custom-houses of 
lodged in private stores in the river were opened, and 
large quantities stolen. The party on whom suspicion 
seemed most reasonably to fall was the consignee, who, 
even with a few cargoes, was generally observed to get 
rich very rapidly. Not contented with the profits ac- 
cruing from his commission, he seldom scrupled to take 
every advantage which possession of the property afford- 
ed him, of furthering his own interests at the expence of 
his correspondent. The dread of a legal process could 
be but a slight check upon him, for in the Spanish 
courts of justice, as well as in others, a native and a 
stranger are seldom upon equal terms. Other circum- 
stances have concurred to enrich the inhabitants of 
Monte Video. It is a fact which I afterwards ascertain- 
ed, that the English exported thither, goods to the 
amount of a million and a half sterling, a small portion 
of which, on the restoration of the place to the Spaniards, 
was re- shipped for the Cape of Good Hope and the 
West Indies ; the remainder was for the most part 
sacrificed at whatever price the Spaniards chose to give. 
As their own produce advanced in proportion as ours 
lowered in price, those among them who speculated 
gained considerably. The holders of English goods 
sold their stock at upwards of fifty per cent, profit 
immediately after the evacuation of the place. 

The climate of Monte Video is humid. The wea- 
ther, in the winter months (June, July, and August,) is 
at times boisterous, and the air in that season is gene- 
rally keen and piercing. In summer the serenity of the 
atmosphere is frequently interrupted by tremendous 
thunder-storms, preceded by dreadful lightning, which 
frequently damages the shipping, and followed by heavy 
rain which sometimes destroys the harvest. The heat 
is troublesome, and is rendered more so to strangers by 
the swarms of mosquitoes, which it engenders in such 
numbers that they infest every apartment. 

The town stands on a basis of granite, the feldspar of 
which is for the most part of an opaque milk-white 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



25 



colour, in a decomposing state ; in some places it is 
found of a flesh-red colour and crystallized. The mica is 
generally large and foliated, in many places imperfectly 
crystallized. It is obvious that the excessive quantity 
of mud in the harbour and throughout the banks of the 
river cannot have been formed from this stratum. The 
high mount on the opposite side of the bay, which is 
crowned with a Light-house, and gives name to the 
town, is principally composed of clay.slate in lam in re 
perpendicular to the horizon. This substance appears 
much like basalt in texture, but its fracture is less con- 
choidal ; it decomposes into an imperfect species of 
wakke, and ultimately into ferruginous argil. Beds of 
clay, from which flows much water, are observable in 
various parts of the mountain. 

The vicinity of Monte Video is agreeably diversified 
with low gently-sloping hills, and long valleys watered 
by beautiful rivulets ; but the prospects they afford are 
rarely enlivened by traces of cultivation ; few enclosures 
are seen except the gardens of the principal merchants. 
The same defect appears in a north-east direction from 
the town, where similar varieties of hill, valley, and 
water prevail, and stem to want only the embellish- 
ment of sylvan scenery to complete the landscape. 
Some wood, indeed, grows on the margin of the 
Riachuelo, which is used for the building of hovels and 
for fuel. There is a pleasant stream about ten leagues 
from Monte Video called the Louza, the banks of 
which seem to invite the labour of the planter, and 
would certainly produce abundance of timber.* It is 
to be remarked that the almost entire want of this arti- 
cle here, occasions great inconvenience and expence : 
wood for mechanical purposes is extremely scarce, and 
planks are so dear that hardly one house with a board- 
ed floor is to be found. 



* Here I found mint, caraway, and many other aromatic herbs, growing 
wild in the greatest luxuriance. The stratum of vegetable earth was at least; 
two yards thick. 



D 



26 



TRAVELS IN THE 



CHAP. II. 

Journey to Barriga Negra— -Geology of the Country.— 
Limestone, and Mode of burning it, — Horned Cattle. 
— Peons. — Horses. — Defective State of Agriculture. 
— -Manners of the Inhabitants— Dress — Wild 
Animals. Monte Video taken by the British. — My 
return thither. 

jfl^N the arrival of General Beresford's expedition in 
the river, I was again ordered into close confine- 
ment, but my advocate obtained permission for me to 
be sent into the interior, under a stipulation not to ap- 
proach within forty leagues of Monte Video. This 
removal seemed for the moment to shut out all hope of 
obtaining my liberty, and at the same time threatened 
to expose me to fresh dangers, but I derived some con- 
solation from the generous offers of shelter and protec- 
tion made to me by a worthy Spaniard named Don, 
Juan Martinez, whose establishment, not more than 
fifty leagues from the lake of Meni, was situated at the 
full distance prescribed in the orders respecting me, 
A retreat so remote and unfrequented offered few 
amusements to relieve the tediousness of banishment, 
but it at least afforded the prospect of a wider range for 
mineralogical observation, and of ampler leisure to at- 
tend to this my favourite pursuit. 

In the course of the journey thither, my attention 
was principally engaged by the wild and solitary aspect 
of the country. About twenty- five leagues north-east 
from Monte Video, I observed an irregular ridge of 
granite mountains in a direction nearly north and south, 
and the country from this distance gradually assumes a 
rugged appearance. Mica is very common upon the 
road, and in some places quartz ; on one hill I gathered 
several detached crystals of the latter substance. The 
ravines of these stony wilds and the wooded margins of 
the rivers afford shelter to many ferocious animals, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



such as jaguars, (here called tygers,) lions, and ounces. 
Here are also great numbers of wild dogs which breed 
in the rocks, and at times make great havock among 
the young cattle. The farms in this district, forthe 
most part, include tracts of land from twenty to thirty 
miles in length by half that extent in breadth, watered 
by pleasing streams. Vast herds of cattle are bred upon 
them ; it is calculated that each square league sustains 
1500 or 2000 head. 

At the distance of about forty leagues from Monte 
Video, in the direction above mentioned, the range of 
hills gradually lessens and disappears ; the country 
opens finely on the left, and is intersected by numerous 
rivulets. After crossing several of these we arrived at 
the head of a little brook called Polancos, which a few 
miles below, assumes the name of Barriga Negra. It 
there receives several small streams, and in the course 
of ten leagues is augmented by the confluence of some 
others ; becoming thus a considerable river, about 
as large as the Trent at Gainsborough, it is denomi- 
nated Godoy, but on passing into the Portugueze ter- 
ritories it changes its name to that of Zebolyati and 
flows into the Lagun Meni. Near the junction of two 
rivulets, Uiat form the Barriga Negra, stands the 
great lime- kiln of my friend, in whose house I took 
up my residence, and was received with that kindness 
and sincere hospitality, which, in an instant dispelled 
every doubt from my mind, and excited in me senti- 
ments of gratitude that were every day more deeply 
impressed in my heart. 

Having become thoroughly domesticated in my new 
abode, I began to take excursions into the surrounding 
district and the parts beyond it. The country in ge- 
neral may be termed stony and mountainous, though 
its inequalities do not exceed those of Derbyshire. No 
traces of either volcanic or alluvial matter are to be 
found ; the solid rock frequently appears on the surface, 
and in many places projects in masses of various sizes. 
The mountains and rocks are of granite ; no veins of 
metallic substance have hitherto been discovered, but 



2S 



TRAVELS IN THE 



fine red and yellow jasper, chalcedony, and quarts, are 
not unfrequently found loose on the surface. Some 
fossils of the asbestos kind, and some very poor oxides 
of iron, are likewise to be met with occasionally. The 
bases of many of the conical granite mountains are 
overlaid with (apparently) primitive lime-stone of an 
obscure blue colour, in laminae ; I found in this sub- 
stance many capillary veins of calx -spar, and sometimes 
crystals of pyrites. In one part of the vicinity there is 
a plain about half a mile square, on the surface of 
which are found large quantities of white lime- stone 
in nodules ; it is of a very close texture ; but being 
considered inferior in quality to the other species it is 
never converted into lime. The summits of these 
mountains are no where calcareous, excepting those of 
one ridge, the singular appearance of which induced 
me to trace it as far as was practicable. The lime- 
stone on these summits is of a close compact kind, 
united to transparent quartz in a tabular form, standing, 
as it were, in laminae perpendicular to the horizon, and 
thus presenting to the view a number of upright slabs 
somewhat similar to the grave- stones in a country 
church-yard. This singular ridge apparently com- 
mences at a mountain of very unusual form, and, ex- 
tending about two miles, in which it crosses two or 
three valleys, terminates in a ravine of considerable 
depth. No vestige of calcareous crystallization appeared 
in this lime-stone.* It is singular to remark, that the 
cavities formed by the laminae afford refuge for rep- 
tiles, particularly rattle-snakes ; the person employed 
by Mr. Martinez in getting the stone destroyed upwards 
of twenty- seven serpents of tiiat species in the course 
of a few weeks. 

The lime-stone is loosened by the wedge and lever, 
and brought away in large slabs to the kilns, where it 
is broken into fragments of a convenient size, and 



* At a small town called Minas, ten leagues from Maldonado, I was 
informed that there was a lead mine in lime-stone. A piece of that substance 
was sent to me ; it was flesh-coloured, granular, and close in texture. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



29 



burnt with wood. The kilns are capacious, but so 
badly constructed that the process of calcination is very 
slow and tedious. The lime when slaked, is measured, 
put into sacks made of green hides, and sent in large 
carts, drawn by oxen, principally to Colonia, Monte 
Video, and Buenos Ay res. 

Barriga Negra is distant about 160 miles north- 
east from Monte Video, about 120 from Maldonado, 
and 90 from the town of Minas. The country around 
it is mountainous, well watered, and not destitute of 
wood. The banks of the streams are thickly covered 
with trees, rarely, however, of large size, for the 
creeping plants, interweaving with the shoots, check 
their growth and form an impenetrable thicket. Here 
are numbers of great breeding estates, many of which 
are stocked with from 60,000 to 200,000 head of 
cattle. These are guarded principally by men from Para- 
guay called Peons, who live in hovels built for the 
purpose at convenient distances. Ten thousand head 
are allotted to four or five Peons, whose business it is 
to collect them every morning and evening, and once 
or twice a month to drive them into pens where they 
are kept for a night. The cattle by this mode of man- 
agement are soon tamed ; a ferocious or vicious beast 
I never saw among them. Breeding is alone attended 
to ; neither butter nor cheese is made, and milk is 
scarcely known as an article of food. The constant 
diet of the people, morning, noon, and night, is beef, 
eaten almost always without bread, and frequently with- 
out salt. This habitual subsistence on strong food 
would probably engender diseases, were it not corrected 
by copious draughts of an infusion of their favourite 
herb Matte, which are frequently taken. 

The dwellings of the Peons are in general very 
wretched, the walls being formed by a few upright 
posts interwoven with small branches of trees, plastered 
with mud inside and out, and the roof thatched with 
long grass and rushes. The door is also of wicker- 
work, or, in its stead, a green hide stretched on 
sticks and removeable at pleasure. The furniture of 



so 



TRAVELS IN THE 



these poor hovels consists of a few scalps of horsey, 
which are made to serve for seats ; and of a stretched 
hide to lie upon. The principal if not the sole cook- 
ing utensil is a rod or spit of iron stuck in the ground 
in an oblique position, so as to incline over the fire. 
The beef when spitted on this instrument is left to 
roast until the part next the fire is supposed to be 
done enough, then a twist is given to the rod, which 
is occasionally repeated, until the whole is cooked. 
The juices of the meat, by this mode of roasting, help 
to mend the fire, and indeed the people seem to think 
that they are fit for nothing else. The meat, which is 
naturally poor and coarse, being thus dried to a cake, 
bears little affinity to the boasted roast beef of Eng- 
land. Fuel, in some parts, is so extremely scarce that 
the following strange expedient is resorted to for a 
supply. As the mares in this country are kept solely 
for breeding, and are never trained to labour, they 
generally exceed the due proportion ; a flock of them 
is frequently killed, and their carcases, with the excep- 
tion of the hides and tails, are used as firing. 

The Peons are chiefly emigrants from Paraguay, and 
it is a singular fact that, among the numbers that are 
here settled, very few women are to be found. A 
person may travel in these parts for days together with- 
out seeing or hearing of a single female in the course 
of his journey. To this circumstance may^be attri- 
buted the total absence of domestic comfort in the 
dwellings of these wretched men, and the gloomy 
apathy observable in their dispositions and habits. It 
is true that the mistress of an estate may occasionally 
visit it for a few months, but she is obliged during her 
stay to live in great seclusion, on account of the dread- 
ful consequences to be apprehended from being so 
exposed. 

The dexterous mode in which the Peons catch their 
cattle, by throwing a noose over them has been fre- 
quently detailed, but certainly no description can do 
full justice to their agility. They throw with equal 
precision and effect, whether at full gallop or at rest. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



31 



Their method of catching horses by means of balls at- 
tached to leather thongs, is similar to the former but 
more unerring; scarcely an instance has been known of 
its failure, except in those frequent trials which are re- 
quisite to acquire perfect skill in the practice. 

They have a very singular and simple way of training 
mules and horses to draw light carts, coaches, &x. No 
harness is made use of; a saddle or pad is girted on, 
and a leather thong is fastened to the girth on one side, 
so that the animal moving forward, with his body in a 
rather oblique direction, keeps his legs clear of the ap- 
paratus which is attached to him, and draws with a free- 
dom and an agility that in a stranger excite great sur- 
prise. A similar contrivance is used in the catching 
of cattle. The Peon fastens one end of his lazo (or 
noosed thong) to the girth of his horse, who soon 
learns to place himself in such an attitude as to draw 
the ox which his rider has caught, and even should the 
latter dismount, he keeps the thong on the stretch. 

The horses in this country are very spirited, and per- 
form almost incredible labour. They seldom work 
longer than a week at a time, being then turned out to 
pasture for months together. Their sole food is grass 3 
and the treatment they meet with from their masters is 
most harsh and unfeeling. They are frequently galloped 
until their generous fire is spent, and they drop through 
exhaustion and fatigue, The make of the bridle is alone 
sufficient to torture the animal, being of the heavy 
Spanish fashion. They are never shod. The girths of 
the saddles are of a curious construction; they are ge- 
nerally formed of shreds of green hide, or of the sinew 
of the neck ; the middle part is twenty inches broad, 
terminated at each end by an iron ring. One of these ends 
is made fast to the saddle by its ring ; to the other side 
of the saddle is attached a third ring and a pliable strap, 
which, being passed through it and the girth-ring three 
or four times, affords the rider great purchase, and en- 
ables him to gird the saddle very tight, which is thus 
kept so firm in its place that a crupper is unnecessary, 
and indeed is never used. 



32 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Trained horses are here from five to seven dollars 
each ; horned cattle, in good condition, by the herd of 
a thousand at two dollars a head ; mares at three rials 
(Is. 6d, sterling) each. Sheep are very scarce and 
never eaten ; they are kept by some families merely for 
the sake of their wool, which is made into flocks for 
bedding. It is worthy of remark that in the remote 
parts of the interior, where no settlements have been 
made, the cattle are found of a dark dirty brown colour, 
except on a small part of the belly, which is white, but 
when they become domesticated they produce breeds of 
a lighter colour, with hides beautifully spotted and varie- 
gated. The fine herds bred in many parts of this district 
have often tempted the Portugueze to make predatory 
incursions, and the country being accessible by fine open 
passes to the frontier, as well as to the north side of the 
Plata, these violations of territory have been carried on 
to a very serious extent. So frequent were they at one 
period, that it became necessary to appoint a military 
force to parade the boundaries and to defend the Spanish 
settlements against these inroads. 

In taking a general view of the country, a stranger 
cannot but observe, with regret, that while nature has 
been profuse in her blessings, the inhabitants have been 
neglectful in the improvement of them. Here is, for 
instance, abundance of excellent clay and plenty of 
wood on the margin of the rivers, yet it is rare to meet 
with an inclosure, even for a kitchen garden, much 
more so for a corn-field. They generally choose their 
grounds for tillage by the bank of a rivulet, so as to 
have one side or sometimes two sides bounded by it ; 
the remainder is fenced in the most clumsy and bung- 
ling manner imaginable. Ploughing is performed by 
the help of two oxen yoked to a crooked piece of wood, 
about four inches in diameter, and pointed at the end. 
After the ground has been rooted up, the wheat is 
sown, without any previous attempt to clear it from 
noxious seeds. While it grows up, it is never weeded ; 
so that wild oats, poppies, and other pernicious herbs, 
thriving among it in thick luxuriance, obstruct the sun's 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



rays and hinder it from ripening kindly. Indian corn, 
beans, melons, &c, are all treated in a similar way. 
The wheat, when ripe, is cut down with sickles and 
gathered into heads or sheaves. A circular pen of from 
40 to 60 yards in diameter is then formed with rails 
and hides ; in the centre of this enclosure is placed a 
quantity of about 100 or 200 quarters of wheat in the 
straw. The pile is so formed as to have the ears on the 
outside as much as possible. A small quantity is pulled 
down towards the circumference of the circle, and a 
herd of about twenty mares are driven in, which, be- 
ing untamed, are easily frightened and made to gallop 
round. At this pace they are kept by means of whips 
for four or five hours, until the corn is trod out of the 
ears, and the straw is completely reduced. Another par- 
cel of the sheaves is then pulled down, and a fresh herd 
of mares is let in, and this operation is repeated until the 
whole heap is reduced, and the straw is broken as small 
as chaff. In this state it is left until a brisk wind hap- 
pens to rise ; and then the winnowing is performed by 
emptying baskets of the mixed grain and chaff at an 
elevation of eight feet from the ground. While the 
chaff is borne away by the current of air, the grain falls, 
and at the close of the opt ration, is sewed up in green 
hides. In this state it is sent to the sea-ports, where a 
considerable quantity of biscuit is prepared for shipping. 
It is obvious, that by the above mode of separating the 
grain, a considerable quantity must be lost by abrasion, 
and by mixture with a large portion of earth which can- 
not be blown away by the wind, 

The climate and soil are equally favourable for the 
growth of grapes, apples, peaches, and in short every 
species of fruit belonging to the temperate zone, but 
these are known here only as rarities. That inestima- 
ble root, the potatoe, would thrive abundantly, if once 
introduced ; but, though much has been said in recom- 
mendation of it, the people remain totally averse to this 
or any other proposal for improving their means of sub- 
sistence, and seem to wish for nothing bevond the bare 

E 



34 



TRAVELS IN THE 



necessaries of life. Indeed the state of society among 
them weakens those ties which naturally attach men to 
the soil on which they are accustomed to subsist. The 
Peons, brought from Paraguay in their infancy, grow 
up to the age of manhood in a state of servitude, un- 
cheered by domestic comfort ; at that period they 
generally wander in search of employment toward the 
coast, where money is in greater plenty. They are for 
the most part an honest and harmless race, though equal- 
ly liable, from the circumstance of their condition, to 
acquire habits of gambling and intoxication,* as the 
higher classes of people, numbers of whom fall victims 
to those seductive vices. The various evils hence re- 
sulting are multiplied by the lax administration of the 
laws ; even in case of murder the criminal has little to 
fear if he can escape to a distance of twenty or thirty 
leagues ; he there lives in obscurity, probably for the 
remainder of his life, without ever being brought to 
justice. I know not whether this want of vigilance in 
the magistracy be not a temptation for the numerous 



* Such is their excessive propensity to gambling, that they frequently car- 
ry cards in their pockets, and, when an opportunity occurs, form parties, and 
retire to a convenient place, where one of them spreads his pancho or mantle 
on the ground, in lieu of a table. When the loser has parted with his money, 
he will stake his clothes, so that the game generally continues until one of 
them goes away almost naked. This bad practice often leads to serious con- 
sequences. I once observed a party playing in the neighbourhood of a chapel 
after mass had been said, when the clergyman came and kicked away the 
cards in order to put an end to the game. On this one of the Peons rose up, 
and retiring a few paces, thus accosted the intruder ; " Father, I will obey 
you as a priest ; but" (drawing his knife) " you must beware how you mo- 
lest our diversions." The clergyman knew the desperate character of these 
men too well to remonstrate, and retired very hastily not a little chagrined. 

On another occasion a party of Peons were gambling with a Spanish cor- 
poral in the prison-yard, when a dispute arising, the latter drew his sword 
on his unarmed antagonist, and wounded him so severely in the arm, that 
he was obliged to undergo amputation the day following. 

It is usual for a Peon who has been fortunate at play, to go to Monte 
Video and clothe himself anew in the shop of a slop-seller. While the man 
is looking out t \e articles he calls for, he deliberately places his dollars on 
the counter, in separate piles, assigning each to its destined purpose. He 
then retires to a corner, and attires himself ; an unfortunate comrade inva- 
riably attends him, who examines his cast clothes, and, if better than his 
own, puts them cn. After passing a few days in idleness, he sets out on his 
return home, where lie appears in his new dress. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



35 



refugees who seek shelter here, such as European 
Spaniards, who have deserted from the service or have 
been banished for their crimes. These wretches, load- 
ed with guilt, flee into the interior, where they seldom 
fail to find some one or other of their countrymen who 
is willing to give them employment, though frequently 
at the peril of his life. By the corrupt example of 
these refugees, the innocent Creolian is soon initiated 
in vice, and becomes a prey to all those violent passions 
which are engendered and fostered by habitual intoxi- 
cation. 

The common dress of the people is such as might 
be expected from their indolence and poverty. They 
generally go without shoes and stockings ; indeed as 
they rarely go on foot, they have seldom occasion for 
shoes. Some of them, particularly the Peons, make 
a kind of boots from the raw skins of young horses, 
which they frequently kill for this sole purpose. When 
the animal is dead, they cut the skin round the thigh, 
about eighteen inches above the gambrel ; having strip- 
ped it, they stretch and dress it until it loses the hair 
and becomes quite white. The lower part, which 
covered the joint, forms the heel, and the extremity is 
tied up in a bunch to cover the toes. These boots, 
when newly finished, are of a delicate colour, and very 
generally admired. The rest of their apparel consists 
of a jacket, which is universally worn by all ranks, and 
a shirt and drawers made of a coarse cotton cloth 
brought from the Brazils. Children run about with 
no dress but their shirts until the fifth or sixth year. 
Their education is very little attended to, and is con- 
fined to mere rudiments; a man who is able to read 
and write, is considered to have all the learning he can 
desire. 

Among the many natural advantages which this 
district possesses, are the frequent falls in the rivulets 
and larger streams, which might be converted to vari- 
ous mechanical purposes, if the population were more 
numerous and better instructed. Some of these streams, 



g£ TRAVELS IN TH£ 

as was before stated, join the various branches of the 
Godoy, and flow into the lake Meni ; those on the 
other side the mountains in a northerly direction empty 
themselves principally through the Riachuelo and the 
St. Lucia, into the Plata. 

The want of cultivation in this vast territory may be 
inferred from the numbers and varieties of wild animals 
which breed upon it. Tygers, ounces, and lions are 
common. The former are heavy sluggish animals ; 
their chief prey is the young cattle, which they find in 
such abundance that they rarely attack a man. Hence 
little danger is to be apprehended from them by any 
person travelling on horseback,* unless when inadvert- 
ently approaching the haunt of a female with young. 
The ounce has the same character, and the lion is 
considered less vicious than either. There is an ani- 
mal of the pig kind, called the pig of the woods, which 
has an aperture on its back, whence it emits a most 
intolerable stench when closely pursued. If on kill- 
ing the animal, the part be instantaneously cut out, the 
flesh affords good eating, but should that operation be 
neglected, even for a short period, the taint contaminates 



* Among the many daring and active feats performed by the Peons, one 
of the most extraordinary of late years, was the capture of a tiger by a fe- 
male of that tribe. She was a mulatto-woman, brought up in the vicinity of 
Barriga Negra. She was accustomed at an early age to ride horses, 'and 
prided herself in doing offices which belonged to the stronger sex, such as 
catching cattle with the noose, killing them, &c. Her form was masculine, 
and she became so mured to men's work, that she was hired as a Peon, and 
fulfilled that office much to the satisfaction of her employers. She was not- 
ed for selecting spirited horses, and for riding them at full speed. One day 
on her return from labour, as she was passing a rivulet, she observed a large 
tyger at no great distance. Surprized that the animal did not steal away, 
as is generally the case when ne sees a person mounted, she drew nearer, still 
keeping her horse's head from him, so as to be ready to gallop off if he should 
make a spring. He was still inattentive and motionless ; the woman observing 
this, and thinking he ailed something, after some minutes' pivtise backed her 
horse until she came within twenty yards of him, loosening at the same time 
her noose from the saddle, which she threw most dexterously over h:s neck, 
and immediately galloped away with him to a considerable distance. Whe- 
ther ill or not before, she kn. w he must now be dead ; she therefore alighted, 
flayed him, and carried home the skin as a trophy. The animal was above 
the ordinary size, and not smaller than a calf of six weeks old. Th;s exploit 
was long the talk of the neighbourhood, and lhave heard the woman herself 
relate it. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



37 



the whole carcase. The domestic pigs are by no means 
good ; they feed so much upon beef that their flesh is 
very hard and coarse. There is an animal of the opos- 
sum kind, about the size of a rabbit, called a zurilla, 
the skin of which is streaked black and white, and is 
considered of some value. When attacked, it ejects 
a fetid liquor, which is of so pungent a nature, that if it 
falls on any part of the dress of its pursuers, there is no 
possibility of getting rid of the stench but by continual 
exposure to the weather for some months. The zurilla 
is very fond of eggs and poultry, and sometimes enters 
a house in quest of its prey ; the inhabitants immedi- 
ately hasten out and leave their unwelcome visitant in 
quiet possession as long as she chooses to stay ; well 
aware that the slightest attempt to drive her out, would 
expose them to an ejectment from the premises for 
ever. Eagles both of the grey and blue species, as 
well as other birds of prey, are found here in great 
numbers. Here are also parroquets in immense flocks, 
pigeons, great red-legged partridges, small partridges, 
wild ducks, and wild turkies. Ostriches of a large 
species are very numerous ; they are so fleet and active 
that even when well mounted I could never get near 
them but by surprise ; the stroke of their wing is said 
to be inconceivably strong. 

Here are considerable herds of small deer, which in 
this fine country would afford the sportsman excellent 
diversion, but unfortunately the dogs are good for 
nothing, as there is no attention paid to the preserva- 
tion of the breed. The rivers produce tortoises and 
other amphibious animals, but they are chiefly noted 
for a variety of singularly ugly fish, which afford tole- 
rable but by no means good food. 

During a residence of six months in this remote dis- 
trict, as a prisoner at large, or in fact as a welcome guest 
at the house of a most hospitable man, my life passed 
away in an equable tenour, uninterrupted by those vi- 
cissitudes that elsewhere befel me, and therefore a nar- 
rative of it is little calculated to interest the reader.— 



58 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Rather than occupy his attention by relating my various 
hopes and disappointments as the prospect of liberation 
became more or less favourable, I have chosen to pre- 
sent him with the result of some general observations 
on the country, made during the daily excursions which 
I enjoyed through the liberality of my friend. The 
longer I resided in his house, the greater was his kind- 
ness to me in allowing me those indulgences, and the 
more did he and his family strive to render my exile 
agreeable. An event at length occurred which at once 
delighted and distressed me, because while it afforded 
me hopes of immediate deliverance, it destroyed for a 
time the harmony which so long subsisted between me 
and my protector. I allude to the taking of Monte 
Video by the British troops under Sir Samuel Auch- 
muty. 

On hearing of the surrender of the place, I solicited 
Mr. Martinez to liberate me, as I thought myself no 
longer a prisoner. He seemed much astonished at this, 
and gave me to understand that I continued a prisoner, 
because, not being actually at Monte Video, I was still 
in the power and under the jurisdiction of the Viceroy 
of Buenos Ayres. This worthy man's mind was so 
distracted by the fall of the town, and by the disgrace 
of the Spanish arms, that he secluded himself from 
society, and avoided all communication with me. — 
Under these circumstances I was advised to attempt my 
escape, but I felt great repugnance at the idea of thus 
wounding the feelings of a man who had humanely 
released me from confinement, and had ever treated 
me as a brother. Averse to such an act of ingratitude, 
I intreated his amiable wife to intercede for me, and to 
suggest that, on returning to Monte Video, it might 
be in my power to be of service to him. But he re- 
jected the proposal in the most vehement manner, and 
forbade any one to talk to him on the subject. 1 now 
thought that my liberty was unreasonably denied me, 
and as I saw no probability of obtaining it but through 
my own exertions, I determined at all events to mate , 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



39 



the attempt. After deliberating for some days, and 
consulting with two men who had frequently mention- 
ed the subject to me, I decided on my plan of escape, 
and gave them six ounces of gold to provide horses and 
every thing necessary* On the appointed night, all 
was in readiness, the horses were saddled, and the men 
waiting to escort me. This moment was one of the 
most melancholy in my life; I reflected with com- 
punction that, while striving to regain my freedom, I 
was apparently abusing the confidence of a man of 
honour who had done all in his power to merit my 
friendship. Agitated by these emotions, and oppress- 
ed by a sadness which the thick gloom of the night 
rendered more heavy, I was walking to and fro in the 
neighbourhood, on the spot appointed for my guides 
to meet me, when a voice, to which I was familiar, ac- 
costed me. The person was very near me, but owing 
to the extreme darkness I could not see him. He 
asked me what I was doing there. I replied, " only 
walking about." "Don Juan," said he, "you are 
going to escape to night." I answered, " indeed I 
am not." He replied, 4 6 you are ; and the men whom 
you have chosen for your guides are to murder you, 
.to seize your money, and to bury you in a ravine about 
a league distant. The man in whom you have most 
confided has a knife concealed in his saddle, with which 
he is to give you the fatal blow." This so staggered 
me that I was unable, at the moment, to make any an- 
swer. I felt confident that no one knew of my intend- 
ed departure, except the two men and myself. On 
asking, " how do you know this ?" he replied, " I 
overheard them talking of it." He added, " you know 
they are both gamblers, and one of them killed two 
men last year." Ere I had recovered my surprise, so 
as to speak again, the man went away. While medi- 
tating on the choice of evils, namely, whether to run 
the risk of being murdered and thrown into a ravine, 
or to abandon my design and remain a prisoner, one of 
my hired Peons came to inform me that the horses 



40 



TRAVELS IN THE 



were waiting. I told him I had a violent pressure at 
my stomach and could not ride. He treated this very 
lightly, and urged me with great earnestness to mount 
at all events. Considering at this moment that money 
was of little value in comparison with my life and liberty, 
I offered to give him two ounces of gold if he would 
perform a piece of service for me, which I would ex- 
plain to him through my room window at midnight. 
He still used every argument to persuade me immedi- 
ately to set out, but finding that I persisted in alledging 
my indisposition as an excuse, he at length acceded to 
my proposal. Having reached my chamber, I wrote 
to a magistrate in Monte Video, who, I knew, would, 
if he had survived the assault of the town, send an 
order for my liberation. Having finished writing, the 
man appeared at the window according to agreement ; 
I gave him the letter, charged him to convey it to 
Monte Video, and presenting him with two ounces of 
gold, promised him another ounce if he should bring 
me an answer. He departed unknown to any of our 
good family, and on the fifth day following, in the 
forenoon, returned, to my inexpressible joy, with a 
paper signed by Sr. Francisco Juanico, the magistrate 
to whom I had written, stating that I was free, and 
ought immediately to proceed thither. On receiving 
this welcome intelligence I hastened to Mr. Martinez, 
and joyfully embracing him, gave him the paper to 
read ; after examining its contents, he observed, that 
it was nothing official, but would avail me as a reasona- 
ble pretext for going away, to which he cordially ac- 
quiesced. He immediately ordered three Peons and a 
trusty old Creolian to accompany me, with twenty-five 
horses, that we might perform the journey with great- 
er expedition. The best dinner was provided which 
the time would allow, and while partaking of it I re- 
ceived the sincerest congratulations on my liberation 
from my worthy host and his amiable lady. I then 
took an affectionate leave of every branch of this good 
family, expressing my warm acknowledgments ot the 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



41 



many obligations they had conferred on me. Having 
joined my guides, we each mounted a horse, and, at 
three in the afternoon, set off at full speed, driving 
the rest of the cattle before us. My first horse bore 
me forty miles, and I changed him at ten o'clock. 
The night was fine, and after a rapid but pleasant jour- 
ney, we forded the river St. Lucia, and halted at two in 
the morning, half way on the route to Monte Video. 
At the house, into the corral of which our horses were 
driven for the purpose of changing them, I procured a 
slight repast of dried figs, after which we again mount- 
ed and travelled tolerably fresh until six in the morning, 
when we were again obliged to change, having pro- 
ceeded about one hundred English miles. Our horses 
now began to lose their generous spirit, and were very 
much distressed. As our progress became slower, and 
our changes more frequent, my anxiety increased, be- 
cause I was aware there were Spanish parties scouring 
the country about Monte Video, and stopping the pas- 
sage of all provisions from the interior. To avoid sus- 
picion I rode in the dress of a Peon, with the lazo coiled 
up, and hung at my saddle. At eleven o'clock the 
heat of the day became oppressive, and our horses flag- 
ged exceedingly. To add to my distress I had a 
violent haemorrhage from the nose, and could obtain 
no water to drink or wash with, so that, through thirst 
and the coagulation of blood, I was nearly suffocated* 
On arriving within twelve miles of Monte Video, our 
horses were nearly worn out ; but no rest could be 
allowed for either them or the men. At noon we 
reached an English picquet-guard on the outposts; 
after the usual questions I was conducted by a soldier 
to the officer, to whom having explained some particu- 
lars, I rode to General Lumley's tent, and afterwards 
into the town. 

No language can describe my emotions on beholding 
an English flag on that tower in which I had been so 
long confined, and on seeing English soldiers in pos- 
session of a place where I had experienced so much in- 
justice and oppression. The joy I felt made me forget 

F 



42 



TRAVELS IN THE 



my fatigue and the dangers I had passed through. I 
rode up to my friend's house ; all was barricadoed, and 
I feared the worst might have happened ; but on advan- 
cing to the window I observed one of the ladies, who 
instantly recognized me. All the family welcomed me 
most cordially, and invited me to dinner, after which I 
went, in my Peon's disguise, to visit some of my friends. 
On taking possession of Mr. Martinez's house, I found 
my chests, &x. undisturbed, and in the same condition- 
's when I left them on going into the country. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



43 



CHAP. III. 



Expedition against Buenos Ayres. — Causes of its Fai- 
lure. — Account of the Population of the Country r , and 
of the various Classes which compose it. 

"Vl^HEN the expedition against Buenos Ayres was 
▼ ▼ ready to sail, I obtained General Whitelocke's 
permission to go with the army under the hope of reco- 
vering the property I had in that city, and offered 
my service to the commissary-general, whom I accom- 
panied. On our arrival at the place of disembarkation, 
I was surprized to learn that the army was totally desti- 
tute of guides, and almost equally so of Peons, whose 
assistance was highly desirable in catching and driving 
cattle for the subsistence of the troops. The comman- 
der in chief, whom I met with on the beach, expressed 
great chagrin at the false information he had received on 
this and other particulars. He had been led to expect 
a landing place where the men would not wet their 
shoes ; — here they were up to the breasts in water : he 
had been told that guides would offer themselves in whole 
troops on this side the river ; — not one was to be seem 
Early on the morning after we had landed, I was requested 
by an officer to assist in obtaining guides, and the difficul- 
ty we had in the search fully exposed the oversight which 
had been committed in neglecting to secure a number 
at Monte Video. Some useful persons there had offered 
themselves, and only required to be ostensibly pressed 
into the service in order to avoid the ignominy which 
might have awaited them had they openly volunteered. 
After much trouble, an aged negro was found, who was 
compelled to guide the army on its way to Buenos 
Ayres. The difficulties that occurred on the march 
in passing swamps, fording rivers, &c. have been already 
laid before the public, in the report of General White- 



44 



TRAVELS IN THE 



locke's trial, and I believe the evidence recorded in that 
statement will bear me out in saying, that these difficul- 
ties were in great part attributable to the glaring omis- 
sion above-stated. Previous to our advance to Quilmes, 
a place four leagues distant from Buenos Ayres, the 
commissary -general requested me to undertake the ma- 
nagement of the few Peons we had, in order to procure 
provisions for the troops. In this service I found my- 
self of some use, though no exertion could repair the 
neglect which was observable in a department so essen- 
tial to the army. The enemy drove the cattle away 
wherever they could, and our Peons found the duty ex- 
tremely harassing and perilous, for they were frequently 
chased by the Spaniards, and driven within our march- 
ing columns. A small detachment of riflemen was 
sent out to cover their excursions, and the service was 
afterwards more effectually performed. On our arrival 
at Quilmes, after many disagreeable encounters, the sol- 
diers were excessively fatigued ; upwards of two hun- 
dred of them could march no farther. The centre 
division, commanded by General Whitelocke, quitted 
this place without any person conversant with the coun- 
try to act as guide, and on halting, after a march of four 
or five hours, they found that, instead of having follow- 
ed the route of the advanced division, under General 
Crawfurd, they had taken a circuit to the left, and were 
almost as far from Buenos Ayres as when they set out. 
I accidentally met the General while I was riding about 
giving directions to the Peons ; and on speaking with him 
he expressed great irritation and disappointment at the 
situation in which he found himself. The next morn- 
ing the division advanced, and crossing the Riachuelo, 
joined that of General Crawfurd, about four in the af- 
ternoon, when we w T ere informed of the skirmish that 
had taken place, and of the cannon that had fallen into 
our hands. 

It is by no means improbable that the fate of the ex- 
pedition was decided by the delay which took place in 
the junction of the centre with the advanced division ; 
for, had they joined the day before, they would most 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



45 



probably have entered the town immediately ; while 
part of the enemy's forces were out of it, and unprepar- 
ed. This delay, though short, gave the latter time to 
entrench and fortify their streets, and place them in the 
most advantageous situation. 

During the few days we were in possession of 
the suburbs, I was requested to take charge of the Pul- 
perias (houses where liquor is sold,) in order to pre- 
vent the soldiers from getting intoxicated. I had a Ser- 
jeant and a small party of soldiers under my directions, 
and placed centinels where I thought proper. While 
engaged in this service I had it in my power to render 
assistance to many families who had fled hither from the 
town for refuge. Many of the houses I found filled 
with females, almost frightened to death ; to these I 
gave such protection as my influence over the soldiery 
enabled me to offer, and supplied them with provisions 
by means of the Peons. 

It was afterwards determined to enter the town ; the 
misfortunes attending that rash attempt are too notori- 
ous to need repetition here. A capitulation was signed 
by our chiefs, and an armistice took place during the 
fulfilment of the terms. In fact the situation of our 
army was so critical, that they were obliged to accede 
to the conditions dictated by the enemy, or, perhaps, 
eventually to become prisoners at discretion. The res- 
toration of Monte Video was the stipulation most to be 
regretted, for every principle of good policy required us 
to keep that town to the last extremity ; nay, some of the 
best informed among the Spaniards were of opinion, 
that our army should have been contented with the pos- 
session of the north side of the Plata, without ventur- 
ing any farther, because we should thus have command- 
ed the trade of the interior, and Buenos Ayres would, 
in the end, have found it necessary to come to terms of 
accommodation highly to our advantage.* 



* It is with great regret that I mention the ill-requital which the Peons met 
with from our army. They had been promised great rewards for their activi- 
ty in driving cattle and securing provisions during the march, and for their 



46 



TRAVELS IN THE 



After the army had re-embarked for'Monte Video, I 
remained a few days to forward some business for the 
commissary, and to attend to my own. It was gratify- 
ing to me to find that the services I had an opportunity 
of rendering to those families that had taken refuge in 
the suburbs during the siege were not forgotten ; thev 
all strove which should be foremost in testifying their 
acknowledgments by every polite attention which it 
was in their power to shew me. 

My short stay at Buenos Ayres did not afford me 
time to make any geological researches ; indeed the 
country behind it, being a vast plain, without any tra- 
ces of rock, did not offer much scope for such an un- 
dertaking. With the exception of a part of the bank 
near the mole, which is of granite, I scarcely found an 
indurated substance during the whole route. Judging 
from the shells and other marine productions which are 
occasionally found in the Pampas, I should conclude 
that those extensive level districts have formed, at 
some period, the bottom of the river, and that they 
have been left dry by the progressive precipitation of 
matter, and the deepening of the Rio de la Plata, in its 
present channel through a long course of ages. A cir- 
cumstance which seems to support this conjecture is, 
that the land continually gains upon the river, and that 
at those times, when the wind blows from the Pampas, a 
considerable extent of the bank on the side of Buenos 
Ayres is left dry. 



great services as messengers. After the capitulation was signed, as they 
were accompanying a waggon full of our wounded from the corrals of Mi- 
serere to the Retiro, a place assigned for our re-embarkation, they were met 
and recognized, in their disguise, by a party of Spaniards, who suffering 
the waggon to pass, carried these unfortunate' men to prison. Hearing of this, 
I made repeated applications to the Commissary-general to induce him to 
procure their liberation ; he assured me that he had represented the matter 
to the Commander-in-chief, who had promised to attend to it. The men, 
however, never were liberated ; some were executed, and others condemn- 
ed to hard labour. Thus not only were they disappointed of their reward, 
but abandoned in the hour of need by the men on whose good faith they had 
relied, and whose cause they had zealously served. The Commander-in-chief 
might have obtained their discharge by making a spirited remonstrance, but 
he omitted to do so, and was very generally accused for this unfeeling neg- 
lect ; the Spaniards themselves spoke with indignation of our inhumanity 
in leaving these poor men to be punished as traitors. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



47 



The population of Buenos Ayres and its immediate 
suburbs, exclusive of the country in its vicinity, has been 
ascertained to amount to upwards of sixty thousand 
souls. The proportion of females to males is said to 
be as four to one : but if we take into consideration 
that many men are almost daily arriving from Europe, 
as well as from the South American provinces, and that 
under the old government neither the militia nor the ma- 
rine was recruited from the mass of the population, we 
shall find reason to conclude that the proportion of the 
sexes is not so unequal. In the interior the excess of 
males is very great ; for as the lands are granted in large 
tracts only, and but poorly cultivated, there is no en- 
couragement for the labouring classes to marry and 
settle upon them. The poor are compelled to remain 
single from the very bare resources on which they de- 
pend for subsistence, and are accustomed to consider 
the married state as fraught with heavy burthens and 
inevitable misfortunes. It is not uncommon to find 
estates larger than an English county with hardly more 
than a hundred labourers upon them, who subsist upon 
the sale of a little corn, which each is permitted to grow 
for himself, but only to such an extent as a single man 
can plough. 

The various races which compose the population are 
as follow : 

1. Legitimate Spaniards or Europeans. In Buenos 
Ayres there are about three thousand ; in the interior 
the number is very trifling, except in Potosi, which, 
being a mining country, contains many. 

2. Creoles ; legitimate descendants from Spaniards 
or Europeans. 

3. Mestizos, the offspring of European and Indian 
parents. 

4. Indians, almost all of whom have some mixture 
of Spanish blood. 

5. Brown mixtures of Africans and Europeans. 

6. Mulattos of various degrees. 

All these races intermix without restraint, so that it 
is difficult to define the minor gradations, or to assign 



48 



TRAVELS IN THE 



limits to the ever-multiplying varieties. Few families 
are entirely exempt from characteristics of Indian ori- 
gin, physical as well as moral. It is well known that 
in the Spanish colonies little regard is now paid to 
purity of blood ; the various regulations for preserving 
the races distinct have gradually become obsolete. — 
This may be regarded as a momentary evil ; but may it 
not be conducive, in the long run, to the good of socie- 
ty, by concentrating the interests of the various classes, 
which, in remaining separate, might one day endanger 
the stability of the government, as has been the case in 
the French colony of St. Domingo ? 

In describing the orders of society in Buenos Ayres, 
it is necessary to premise, that I mean to class them, not 
by degrees of birth, rank or profession, but by the re- 
lative estimation in which they stand in point of pro- 
perty or public usefulness. 

According to this scale, the first which comes under 
consideration is, the commercial class. Every person 
belonging to it, from the huckster at the corner of the 
street, to the opulent trader in his warehouse, is digni- 
fied by the appellation of merchant ; yet few individu- 
als among them can lay just claim to that title, as they 
are wanting in that practical knowledge so essential in 
commercial dealings. They are averse to all specula- 
tion and enterprise ; the common routine of their busi- 
ness is to send orders to Spain for the articles they 
need, and to sell by retail at an exorbitant profit ; be- 
yond this they have hardly a single idea, and it has been 
said that their great reason for opposing a free trade 
with foreign nations is a consciousness of their own 
mercantile inexperience. The more considerable hou- 
ses are almost all branches of some European establish- 
ment ; few of the Creoles have any regular trade.- — 
Those among them, however, who engage in it, are 
much more liberal in their transactions than the old 
Spaniards, and are observed to make less rapid for- 
tunes, for their manly and independent character makes 
them spurn a miserable economy, and disdain to as- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



49 



sume that church- going hypocrisy which must be 
practised twice or thrice a-day by those who w r ould 
enrich themselves through the patronage of the opulent 
families. Among the inferior tradesmen, those who 
gain most are the pulperps, the warehousemen, and the 
shop-keepers. The pulperos retail wine, brandy, can- 
dles, sausages, salt, bread, spices, wood, grease, brim- 
stone, &c. Their shops are generally lounging-places 
for the idle and dissipated of the community. In Bue- 
nos Ayres there are about seven hundred of them, each 
more or less in the interest of some richer individual. 
The warehousemen sell earthen and glass ware, drugs, 
various articles of consumption, and some goods of 
home manufacture, wholesale and retail. The shop- 
keepers amount to six hundred in number ; they sell 
woollen cloths, silks, cotton goods of all sorts, hats, and 
various other articles of wearing apparel. Many of 
them make considerable fortunes, those especially who 
trade to Lima, Peru, Chili, or Paraguay, by means of 
young men w T hom they send as agents or factors. 
There is another description of merchants, if such 
they may be called, who keep in the back-ground and 
enrich themselves by monopolizing victuals, and by 
forestalling the grain brought to market from the inte- 
rior, much to the injury of the agricultural interest. 

The second class of inhabitants consists of the pro- 
prietors of estates and houses. They are in general Cre- 
oles; for few Europeans employ their funds in building, 
or in the purchase of land, until they have realised a for- 
tune to live upon, which commonly takes place when 
they are far advanced in life, so that their establishments 
pass immediately into the hands of their successors. The 
simple landholders derive so little revenue from their 
possessions, that they are generally in debt to their 
tradesmen ; their gains are but too commonly engrossed 
by the monopolists, and having no magistrate to repre- 
sent them, they find themselves destitute of effectual 
resources against wrong and extortion. So defective 
and ili-rearulated are the concerns of agriculture in this 

G 



50 



TRAVELS IN THE 



country, that the proprietor of an estate really worth 
20,000 dollars can scarcely subsist upon it. 

Under the class of landed proprietors I may reckon 
the cultivators, here called quinteros, or chacareros, 
who grow wheat, maize, and other grain. These men 
are so depressed and impoverished that, notwithstand- 
ing the importance of their calling, and the public use- 
fulness of their labours, they are ranked among the 
people of least consequence in society. 

The third class is composed of handicraftsmen, such 
as masons, carpenters, tailors, and shoe-makers, who, 
although they work hard and receive great wages, 
seldom realise property. The journeymen are usually 
people of colour ; the masters for the most part Ge- 
noese, and universally foreigners, for the Spaniards 
despise these trades, and cannot stoop to work along 
with negroes or mulattos. Many of the lower orders 
derive subsistence from these and other employments 
of a similar nature ; here are lime-burners, wood-cut- 
ters, tanners, curriers, The free porters constitute 
a numerous body of men ; they ply about the streets 
to load and unload carts, and carry burdens, but they 
are so idle and dissolute, that no man can depend on 
their services for a week together ; when they have a 
little money, they drink and gamble, and when penny- 
less, they sometimes betake themselves to pilfering. 
These habits have long rendered them a public nuisance, 
but no corrective measures have hitherto been taken, 
nor does there appear, on the part of the higher orders, 
any disposition to reform them. 

Persons employed in public offices may be compre- 
hended under the fourth class. The best situations 
under Government are held by native Spaniards; those 
of less emolument by Creoles ; the former are regarded 
as mere sinecures, and the persons enjoying them are 
considered as in no way serviceable to the community, 
except by spending their large salaries within it. 

The fifth class is the militia or soldiery. Previous to 
the invasion of the English, the oflicers were not much 



/ 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. £\ 

noted for military science, or for that ardour which 
leads to the acquisition of it ; their chief ambition was 
to obtain commands in towns and villages, especially 
those on the Portuguese frontier, where they might en- 
rich themselves by smuggling The privates were ill- 
disciplined, badly dressed, and badly paid. The effec- 
tive force which the crown of Spain maintained in 
these possessions was one regiment of the line, which 
was to consist of 1200 men, but was reduced to less 
than half ; one regiment of dragoons amounting to 600, 
two of cavalry called blandengues, 600 each, and one 
or two companies of artillery. With the exception of 
the blandengues, all the troops were originally sent 
from the Peninsula, but not having for the last twenty 
years been recruited from thence, their ranks were 
gradually filled by natives. By eminence they w r ere 
called veterans, but they have been of late disbanded, 
and their officers have passed to the command of the 
new corps which were formed on the English invasion. 
The force of these corps may be estimated at nine 
thousand men. 

The sixth class is the clergy, in number about a 
thousand. The seculars are distinguished by their learn- 
ing, honour, and probity from the friars, who are in 
general so grossly ignorant and superstitious, that they 
render no real service to the public in any way ; but 
rather tend to disturb the minds of the honest and well- 
disposed. 

Every observation I was able to make gave me a 
favourable idea of the general character of the people : 
they are tractable, prudent, and generous ; and doubt- 
less, had they been under a milder and more beneficent 
government than that of the Spaniards, they might have 
become a model to other colonies ; but it is lamentable 
to add, that in points of morality they cannot be con- 
sidered as much superior to the other inhabitants of 
America. This is attributable to the want of a proper 
system of education for youth ; to the pernicious ex- 
ample afforded by the vices of the Europeans ; and, in 



52 TRAVELS IN THE 

a word, to the prevalence of an intolerant system, which, 
by aiming to make men what they cannot be, causes 
them to become what they ought not to be. The ex- 
cessive rigour exercised by the ministers of worship as 
well as by the government, for the suppression of im- 
morality, defeats its own end; it is like the unskilful 
practice of a physician, which, directed solely against 
the external symptoms, aggravates instead of removing 
the disease. Thus, while open profligacy is discoun- 
tenanced in Buenos Ayres, libertinism of a more dan- 
gerous kind is connived at, if not tolerated ; the peace 
of the most respectable private families is liable to be 
destroyed by votaries of seduction, who respect neither 
the purity of female virtue, nor the sacred rights of 
matrimony. This evil pervades all classes of society, 
and is the source of domestic disputes, which often lead 
to serious consequences. 

In thus attempting to describe the state of Buenos 
Ayres as I found it in the year 1807, I have purposely 
avoided all discussions of a political nature, and have 
declined entering into a detail of the events which led 
to the present struggles of the people for independence. 
Circumstanced as I then was, I had no means of pro- 
curing correct and impartial information on the subject : 
but since my return I have been favoured with a com- 
munication, containing a brief history of the Revolution, 
by a gentleman whose official situation at Buenos Ayres 
afforded him the amplest opportunities of observing its 
rise and progress. This communication interested me 
so much that 1 solicited and obtained permission to 
annex it to this work in a detached form, and 1 submit 
it to the public under the impression that its authentic 
character, and the spirit of moderation which it breathes, 
will ensure to it a candid and favourable reception.* 



* See Appendix A. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



CHAP. IV. 



Voyage to St. Catherine's. — Description of that Island, 
and of the Coast in its Vicinity. — Arrival at Sa?itos> 
and Journey thence to St, Paid's. 

ON my return to Monte Video, I lost no time in 
putting in execution my purposed voyage to Rio 
de Janeiro ; and as advices had arrived, stating that con- 
siderable difficulty might attend the entrance of an En- 
glish ship into that port, I bottomried a Portugueze 
vessel, called the Vencedor, and was joined by a party 
of gentlemen whose business required them to visit the 
capital of Brazil. 

In the beginning of September 1807, we had just 
embarked our stock for this voyage, when an order for 
the immediate evacuation of Monte Video by our troops 
was unexpectedly issued. As it had been generally be- 
lieved that a prolongation of the time for giving up the 
place had been agreed on, the greatest hurry and con- 
fusion prevailed in embarking the troops and stores, as 
well as the baggage of individuals. About mid- day 
the whole was on board ; a signal- gun was then fired for 
the Spanish troops to enter, and about three in the after- 
noon we had the mortification to behold their flag hoist- 
ed on the ramparts of this important military post and 
commercial depot, which the British forces had, a short 
period before, so bravely and so dearly won. 

Having still some purchases to make, I returned on 
shore, with two of my friends, about four o'clock ; but 
we had soon reason to repent of our temerity ; for on 
passing the mole we were noticed as enemies, and 
threatened severely, so that we found it necessary to 
pass into the more private streets in order to avoid the 
malignant and hostile taunts of those very men who had 
of late expressed themselves our friends and well-wish- 



54 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ers. Desirous of expediting our several affairs as much 
as possible, we separated, and I was not able to rejoin 
my companions until eight in the evening. I found 
them in great anxiety for my safety ; the Spaniards had 
fired a feu-de-joie from the citadel and fort St. Joseph, 
and were now preparing for bonfires* and illuminations ; 
and my friends, though they did their utmost to avoid 
the riotous crowds that paraded the town, had several 
narrow escapes from being plundered and stripped by 
the soldiery. We all got safely on board by ten o'clock, 
congratulating each other on having happily avoided 
the dangers to which our rash confidence in the amic- 
able disposition of the inhabitants had exposed us. 

On the 11th of September we sailed from the Rio 
de la Plata ; the vessels bound for the Cape of Good 
Hope were then nearly out of sight, and as we beheld 
them we felt a melancholy but proud delight in reflect- 
ing that, after such grievous and unexpected reverses, 
our brave countrymen were once more within their 
wide undisputed empire, the ocean. After a voyage, 
in which nothing worth relation occurred, we made the 
island of St. Catherine's on the 29th, at sun-rise, and 
were delighted with a grand and picturesque view of its 
conical rocks rising abruptly from the sea, embellished 
with the lofty mountains of Brazil, covered with wood 
in the back-ground. This sublime scenery interested 
us the more from the contrast it formed with the ex- 
tensive and woodless plains of Buenos Ayres. This 
island is situated in 27 and 29° south latitude, and is 
separated from the continent by a strait, in some places 
not half a league wide. 

Entering the port of St. Catherine's by the north, 
we passed several islands, on one of which, westward 



* One mode which they adopted for displaying their triumph over their 
late conquerors was singular enough ; they collected all the sign boards be- 
longing to the English warehouses and shops, and made a bonfire of them. 
A great quantity of these boards were from the pulperias, the masters of 
which had been obliged to have on them the following inscription, painted 
in large characters, " Licensed to sell liquor." 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



55 



of the entrance, stood the respectable fort of Santa 
Cruz. After running a few miles in shoal water, we 
sailed into a narrow passage guarded by two forts, 
which forms the harbour. From the anchorage, and 
more particularly from the landing-place, which is at 
the bottom of a verdant slope of about five hundred 
yards, the town has a most beautiful appearance, and the 
perspective is nobly crowned by its fine cathedral. The 
green is interspersed with orange-trees, and forms an 
agreeable parade. Immediately on entering the town, 
we discerned in its general appearance, and in the man- 
ners of its inhabitants, a striking superiority over those 
which we had of late visited These houses are well 
built, have two or three stories, with boarded floors, 
and are provided with neat gardens, well stocked with 
excellent vegetables and flowers. The town consists 
of several streets, and may contain from five thousand 
to six thousand inhabitants. It is a free port. The pro- 
duce of the island consists in rice, maize, mandioca, 
coffee of excellent quality, oranges, perhaps the finest 
in the world, and a variety of other fruits. Sugar and 
indigo are likewise produced, but in small quantities. 
A profusion of the finest flowers indicates the genial 
nature of its climate ; the rose and the jessamin are in 
bloom all the year round. 

The surface of the island is varied with mountains^ 
plains, and in some places swamps ; here is found a 
stratum of excellent red clay, which is manufactured 
into jars, culinary vessels, large water-pots, &c. which 
are exported in considerable quantities to the Plata and 
to Rio de Janeiro. The lands capable of cultivation 
are under considerable improvement; a great extent of 
them was formerly covered with large trees, but as 
great quantities have of late years been cut down and 
used for ship-building, good timber may now be con- 
sidered scarce. They grow flax here of a very fair 
quality, of which the fishermen make their lines, nets, 
and cordage. The sea here-abouts produces an abun- 
dant variety of excellent fish, and some fine prawns ; 



56 



TRAVELS IN THE 



so large is the supply to the market, that a quantity 
of fish, sufficient to dine a dozen persons, may be had 
for a shilling. Meat is much the same in quality as at 
Monte Video, being rather hard and lean ; its general 
price is about three halfpence per pound. Pigs, turkies, 
ducks, poultry, and eggs, as well as fine vegetables and 
excellent potatoes, are plentiful and cheap. 

The trade of this place is inconsiderable, as the pro- 
duce does not much exceed the consumption of the 
inhabitants, who are in general far from rich. It affords 
an agreeable retirement to merchants who have discon- 
tinued business, masters of ships who have left off 
going to sea, and other persons, who, having secured 
an independence, seek only leisure to enjoy it. Few 
places are better calculated for such a purpose than 
this ; it is enlivened by the numerous coasting-vessels 
from Bahia, Pernambuco, and other ports, bound for 
the Plata, which frequently touch here ; and it is amply- 
provided with artisans of all descriptions, such as tailors, 
shoe-makers, tin. workers, joiners, and smiths. The in- 
habitants in general are very civil and courteous to 
strangers; the ladies are handsome and very lively. 
Their chief employment is making of lace, in which 
they display great ingenuity and taste. 

The mountains of the interior, and the rocks on the 
coast, are of primitive granite. Close to the fort, on 
the left hand of the entrance to the harbour, is a vein of 
grunstein in various states of decomposition, which 
ultimately migrates into clay of a superior quality to 
that generally found in the valleys. The soil in the 
interior, being rather humid, is surprisingly fertile. It 
consists principally of a rich vegetable decomposition, 
on which shrubs and plants grow in great luxuriance. 
Myrtles appear in all parts, and a most beautiful variety 
of the passion-flower is found in equal abundance. Here 
is also a profusion of roses, pinks, rosemary, &c. 

The animals are chiefly opossums, monkeys, and 
armadillas ; there are various serpents, among which is 
the beautiful coral snake. Of birds, there are cranes, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



57 



hawks, parrots of various species, humming birds, and 
toucans, the latter of every variety in great numbers. 

The climate is serene and wholesome, its solstitial 
heats being moderated constantly by fine breezes from 
the south-west, and north-east, which are the winds 
that generally blow here ; the latter prevails from Sep- 
tember to March, and the former from April to 
August, so that a voyage to the north, during one half 
of the year is slow and tedious. 

The island is divided into four parishes : 1st, Nossa 
Senhora de Dereito ; 2d, St. Antonio ; 3d, Laguno ; 
and 4th, Riberon. The divisions of the opposite part 
of the continent are likewise under the jurisdiction of 
the governor of St. Catherine's, who is subject, in 
certain cases, to the captaincy of St. Paul's, and in 
others to the Government of Rio de Janeiro. These 
divisions are 1st, St. Jose ; 2d, St. Miguel ; and 3d, 
Nossa Senhora de Rosario ; the entire population of 
the island and its dependencies amounts to about 
30,000 souls. 

Of the fortresses which defend this island the most 
considerable is Santa Cruz before mentioned ; there 
are four others, Porto Groed, Ratones, Estreito, and 
Concepcao. Off the former there is safe anchorage 
for a fleet of men of war, and the harbour which it 
protects may be entered by ships of 300 tons, if not 
of a heavy draught of water. Ships passing the chan- 
nel are required to send a boat on shore at Santa Cruz 
before they proceed. 

To the west of the island, on the opposite coast, is 
an almost inaccessible barrier of lofty mountains, 
thickly covered with trees and underwood. At a small 
port in the vicinity, called Piripi, which has a very 
pretty river, an immense quantity of fish is caught, 
dried, and exported. They are extremely fat, and 
very soon become rancid. 

On the continent, opposite the town of St. Cathe- 
rine's, stands the pleasant village of St. Jose, the inha- 
bitants of which are principally occupied in sawing 
timber into planks, making bricks, and growing rice. 

H 



58 



TRAVELS IN THE 



The net gains of a poor family here are incredibly 
small, but the necessaries of life are cheap, and they 
have few incentives to curtail their present enjoyments 
for the sake of improving their future fortunes. Near 
this village is a lovely vale called Picada, thickly 
studded with white cottages, embosomed in orange- 
groves and plantations of coffee. The gently- sloping 
hills which enclose this spot, give a picturesque effect 
to the bold rugged scenery beyond them. This valley, 
and others contiguous to it, form the extremities of the 
territory habitable by the Portuguese, for on the land 
to the westward, though at considerable distance, 
dwell the Anthropophagi, here called Boogres. These 
savages live entirely in the woods, in wretched sheds 
made of palm-branches, interwoven with bananas. 
Their occupation is chiefly hunting with bows and 
arrows, but they frequently employ these weapons in 
hostilities against their neighbours. A party of them 
will sometimes way-lay a Portugueze, whose residence 
is solitary ; they have even been known to attack and 
destroy whole families. No regard to humanity seems 
indeed to be paid by either party in their encounters ; 
they are mutually bent on a war of extermination. 

There is much low swampy land in the island, over 
which causeways, supported by piles, are made to a 
considerable extent. These lands, on account of their 
humidity, are very favourable to the growth of rice. 
The palm-trees, seen at intervals in every direction, 
have a very pleasing effect. 

Our stay at St. Catherine's was prolonged by some 
Unforeseen circumstances, and we had time to make 
various ex( ursions into the interior of the island and 
to the adjacent continent On one of these occasions 
I happened to be absent, but the adventures which 
attended it being rather amusing, I am tempted to 
relate them in the words of one of my friends who 
formed the party. " Having hired horses and negroes 
we set out early in the morning for the river Tavar- 
inha» The road for three leagues lay through thick 
woods ^ along which we passed without any material 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



59 



accident, and arrived at the end of our journey about 
two in the afternoon. We dined with Captain Leones, 
who entertained us very hospitably, and would have 
persuaded us to prolong our vi^it but we determined to 
return that evening over the mountains. We travelled 
for a league through a level well-cultivated country, 
clothed w T ith orange- groves and coffee-plantations, and 
tolerably populous. At sunset we arrived at the foot 
of the mountains, and began to ascend a steep and 
dangerous road, in the intricacies of which we were 
soon bewildered, and had great difficulty to regain the 
most beaten path, which led homewards. Night 
suddenly overtook us, and we had still three hours 
journey over the mountains, without guide or attend- 
ant, along a perfectly alpine road, winding on the edge 
of horrible precipices. In this part of the journey two 
of us, having advanced a little, the rest of the party 
were suddenly alarmed by a dreadful shriek which 
excited great apprehension lest some one should have 
been precipitated down the gulph, but we were 
agreeably undeceived soon after by the whole of the 
party joining us. We now heard a noise like ham- 
mers, which proceeded from persons beating cotton, 
and in a little time arrived at a house where, on enquiry, 
we were informed that the town was ten miles distant. 
We were proceeding, when a voice cried out in Eng- 
lish, " but will not you stop and have some grog ? ,? 
It may easily be imagined that to be thus suddenly 
hailed with one of the most familiar phrases of our 
native English, while benighted in a strange land, 
operated like an electric shock upon us ; we immedi- 
ately alighted at the house whence the voice seemed to 
proceed, and found a Mr. Nunney, the English inter- 
preter, who furnished us with a guide ; we now con- 
tinued our way with greater confidence, and reached 
the town about midnight. This Mr. Nunney, as we 
afterwards learnt, receives a dollar per diem during the 
stay of every English or American ship that touches at 
this port, whether his services are wanted or not, and 
by these means, with the profits of the sales of provi- 



60 



TRAVELS IN THE 



sions which he makes to such ships, he has acquired a 
little fortune and a pretty estate. His profits, indeed, 
are exorbitant, for he charges the articles 100 per cent 
higher than they can be procured at from any other 
dealer in the place. 

While at the town of St. Catharine's, we visited 
some of the gardens with which its vicinity is embel- 
lished. They are laid out with great taste, particularly 
one belonging to the vicar, another in the estate of the 
late excellent and able General Soares de Coimbra, 
and a third the property of Colonel Gama. At Barra- 
gros, near the village of St. Jose, we visited a gentle- 
man of the name of Caldwin, who collects and pre- 
serves insects. He showed us his grounds, which 
occupy a space of eighty-five fathoms along the beach, 
and extend a mile inland, containing orangeries, coffee, 
rice, and mandioca, in a fine state of culture. These 
well- watered plantations, together with a neat house 
and garden, he offered to sell for a thousand crusados 
(about 1251. sterling.) 

This was not the only instance we remarked of the 
low value of landed property here. About two miles 
from the town of St. Catherine's, a neat house, a 
small orangery and ground clear of brush wood, capa- 
ble of forming a pretty plantation, was offered at 100 
dollars, An excellent house, in one of the best 
situations in the environs of the town, with a garden 
of about two acres well and tastefully planted, was 
offered to be sold for 400L sterling. The building of 
the house must alone have cost 5001 and it was in 
perfect condition. In short, money appeared so valua- 
ble, that a large landed estate might be purchased for 
a mere trifle. 

Our excursions to the main land were not confined 
to the districts immediately within the jurisdiction of 
St. Catherine's. Proceeding northward from St. Jose 
We entered some fine bays, the shores of which were 
studded with houses pleasantly situated amid banane- 
rias, orangeries, and plantations of rice, coffee, and 
mandioca. After having passed several well-peopled 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



61 



parishes, we arrived at Armasao, a village at the extre- 
mity of a bay about nine leagues distant from St. Jose, 
and four leagues north of Santa Cruz. This village is a 
fishing station for whales, which were formerly very 
numerous on this coast, and in the bays that indent it. 
The fishery is farmed by government to a company 
under the superintendance of a Captain Mor * and a 
number of inferior officers. About 150 negroes are 
employed on this station : but the number of whales 
now caught is not so great as formerly, when the 
average was three or four hundred in a season. Their 
conveniences for flinching or cutting up the fish are 
extensive and well-contrived. Several fine piers pro- 
ject from the shore into eighteen to twenty feet depth 
of water, on which are erected capstans, cranes, and 
other requisite machinery. Hither all the fish caught 
on the coast are brought. The boiling- house, tanks, 
&c. are far superior to any thing of the kind at Green- 
land dock, and indeed to all similar establishments in 
Europe. To give an idea of their magnitude, it is 
sufficient to say, that in one range there are twenty- 
seven very large boilers, and places for three more. 
Their tanks are vast vaults, on some of which a boat 
might be rowed with ease. We obtained a view of 
these great works through the civility of the comman- 
der of the place, Captain Iacinth St. George, who 
lives here in a princely style, and possesses a very 
considerable property, which he expends with great 
public spirit and liberality. All who have visited 
Armasao can bear witness to his affability and urbanity 
to strangers. 

We crossed this peninsula by a mountainous road of 
four leagues to the Bay of Dos Ganchos, commonly 
known by the name of Tejucos. H?re land is of little 
or no value ; any one may take as much as he pleases 
of what is unappropriated, provided he make a proper 
application for it to the government. We passed two 



* Captain Major, 



62 



TRAVELS IN THE 



sugar plantations with conveniences for making rum ; 
and observed numerous huts interspersed in the vici- 
nity. The contrary side of this peninsula forms the 
bay before named. The poor cottages of the people 
here present a curious picture of rural irregularity; 
some are built on the summit of conical mountains, 
the passage to which is frequently obstructed by clouds ; 
others stand on the sides of gentle acclivities ; but the 
greater number of them are situated almost in contact 
with the ocean, which often flows to their very doors. 
The bay is from two to three leagues across, and 
extends about the same distance inland ; it is well- 
sheltered, and affords good anchorage, and fine situ- 
ations for loading timber, with which the mountainous 
country around is thickly clothed, and large quantities 
of which are felled and embarked for Rio de Janeiro 
and the Plata. Canoes are made here, at a cheaper 
rate and in greater numbers than in any other part of 
Brazil. The inhabitants grow rice in considerable 
quantities, as well as some coffee and sugar, but such 
is their indolence and poverty tint they use only hand- 
mills, consisting of two horizontal rollers, in manufac- 
turing the latter article. 

Into this bay fall several streams formed by the 
mountain torrents and springs, and two tolerable rivers, 
the less called Inferninho, and the larger Tigreno. 
They both flow through low swampy land, subject to 
inundation, and overgrown with mangroves and an 
immense variety of trees. The insalubrity of this tract 
might be corrected by clearing away the underwood 
and draining the soil : but the arduousness of such an 
undertaking might deter a more active and skilful 
people than this. In the rainy season it is inundated 
to a great extent: and in summer it is infested with 
terrible swarms of mosquitosand burachaia flies, which 
render it almost uninhabitable. 

Along the beach of this bay I found the shell of 
the murex genus, which produces that beautiful 
crimson dye, so valued by the ancients. It is here 
called purpura, and to my great surprise, its use is in 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



63 



some degree known to the natives, one of whom 
shewed me some cotton fringe, dyed with an extract 
of it, though ill-prepared. The shell is about the size 
of the common whelk, and contains a fish, on whose 
body appears a vesicle full of a pale yellow, viscid, pu- 
rulent substance, which constitutes the dye. The mode 
of extracting it, is to break the shell carefully with a 
hammer, so as not to crush the fish, and then let out 
the liquor in the vesicle with a lancet or other sharp 
instrument. I for greater convenience used a pen, 
and immediately wrote my initials, &c, on a handker- 
chief ; the marks in half an hour after were of a dirty- 
green colour, and on being exposed to the air a few 
hours longer, changed to a most rich crimson. The 
quantity produced by each animal is very small, but 
quite sufficient for such an experiment. The best 
time for making it, is when the animal is in an inci- 
pient state of putrescency. I have not a doubt that if 
a sufficient quantity of them were taken, and the dyeing 
matter, when extracted, were liquified in a small de- 
gree with gum-water, a valuable article of commerce 
might be produced. At least the trial is worth making. 
The liquid is a perfect substantive dye, and of course 
resists the action of alkalies. 

On the rocks, and in greater abundance on the 
trunks of old trees, I observed a variety of lichens, 
some of which produced tints of several shades of 
colours The continual decomposition of vegetables 
here adds greatly to the richness of the soil : it is not 
uncommon to find trees lying on the ground with their 
interior substance entirely decomposed, and a great 
diversity of plants growing on them in high luxuri- 
ance. Among the numerous tribes of birds that fre- 
quent this region, the aquatic afford good eating, as do 
also the smaller parrots. The woods are filled with 
monkeys ; and on the banks of the rivers are found 
capivaras in considerable numbers. 

In coasting along this shore it is customary for stran- 
gers to visit the chief person in command at every 
station, whatever may be his degree or rank ; he, on 



64 



TRAVELS IX THE 



being requested, will furnish guides, and afford every 
assistance in his power. I always experienced the 
greatest attention and civility from these gentlemen, 
and have reason to believe that they uniformly pav the 
same regard to all w T ho visit them for permission to 
see the country. 

Ten leagues north of this place is the fine and ca- 
pacious harbour of Groupus, with its handsome town ; 
the anchorage is equally good as in that of Dos Gan- 
chos. The inhabitants here pursue the same mode of 
living as their neighbours in Tejucos. They have 
a fine climate, and a soil which yields a hundred-fold 
for whatever is sown or planted in it, and is noted for its 
delicious fruits. The cotton, of which their common 
cloths are made, is grown, spun, and woven among 
them ; they build their own houses, and form their own 
canoes, which they are dexterous in managing, and 
prefer to boats. It may indeed be said that every man 
is more or less an'artizan, but I am sorry to observe 
that they prefer ease to care and industry, and are by 
no means so good husbandmen as those of Tejucos. 
This bay, as far as 1 could observe, during my short 
visit to it, presents to the view greater diversity of hills, 
valleys, and plains than the one before-mentioned. 
Both are esteemed fine fishing-ground during the 
whale-season, w r hich is from December to June. 

From hence to the northward is the fine harbour of 
San Francisco, in the bay of the same name. It has 
three entrances defended by forts ; that to the south is 
most frequented. The land here is very flat for several 
miles : and the rivers, which intersect it, are navigable 
for canoes as far as the base of the great chain of 
mountains, where a public road, begun at incredible 
labour and expence, leads over that almost impassable 
barrier. This road will soon be a work of national 
importance to Brazil, as through it the finest district in 
that country, and indeed one of the finest in the world 
in point of climate, the rich plain of Corritiva, will be 
connected with the ocean. The ridge of mountains is 
more than four thousand feet above the level of the sea, 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



65 



and there is a regular ascent for twenty leagues from 
their inland base, to Corritiva. On this fertile tract 
are fed large herds of cattle for the supply of Rio de 
Janeiro, St. Paul's, and other places ; here are also 
bred mules in great numbers. Its soil and air are so 
genial, that olives, grapes, apples, peaches, and other 
fruits grow to as rich a maturity as in Europe, though 
they are here almost in a wild state. It is divided into 
many parishes, but its population is small, compared 
with its extent ; a circumstance rather surprising, since 
every necessary of life is here so cheap and in such 
great plenty. Its distance from the coast and from the 
chief towns, and the hitherto bad road, may have con- 
tributed to deter settlers ; it is principally occupied as 
a breeding district, and supports no more inhabitants 
than what are barely competent to manage and tend 
the cattle, which are chiefly purchased by private dealers, 
and sometimes by commissioners from government, 
who come hither occasionally for the purpose. The 
road from hence to the city of St. Paul's, distant about 
80 leagues, is tolerably inhabited, especially in the 
vicinity of Sorricaba, something more than half way, 
which is a great mart for mules and horses. Near this 
place is a well-wooded country called Gorosuava, 
abounding with fine limestone, where a considerable 
quantity of rich iron ore is found. How deplorable is 
it that the people should yet have to learn the applica- 
tion of such valuable resources ! 

The neighbourhood of Corritiva is watered by fine 
rivers, which flow into the Parana. Many of the 
streams produce gold, particularly the Rio Verde ; and 
one called the Tibigi is rich in diamonds, as the few 
good families in its vicinity have reason to remember 
with gratitude. More to the westward it is dangerous 
to travel, since in that direction live the Anthropophagi, 
who were driven from these boundaries a few years 
ago. The country to the north is very full of wood. 

The cattle at Corritiva sell at various prices ; oxen, 
much fatter and in better condition than those of Rio 
de la Plata or of Rio Grande de St. Pedro, may be 

I 



66 



TRAVELS IN THE 



bought for about 12s. or 15s. a head. The horses are 
in general finer than those of Spanish America ; mules 
for the pack-saddle sell at about 40s. and those for riding 
at from three to six pounds. There is, however, great 
fluctuation in the prices, owing to the occasional scarcity 
as well as the occasional abundance of money. 

But to return from this digression to San Francisco. 
The chief occupations of the inhabitants are the cutting 
of timber, and other labours connected with ship- 
building. Vessels of large dimensions, and a number 
of small craft for coasters, have been built here by 
merchants of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco. 
When this trade is brisk, there is a great demand for 
the various classes of artisans whom it requires, and 
many negroes are employed. The wood used is so 
strong, and holds the iron so firmly, that ships built, of 
it endure many years, and are in greater esteem with the 
Portugueze and Spaniards than those built in Europe. 
On this account, the harbour of San Francisco is liktly 
to become of considerable value to Brazil ; and as it is 
connected with Corritiva, the cattle of which have 
been found superior to Rio Grande, there is every pro- 
bability that at no distant period the Portugueze navy 
will be here supplied with salt provisions. This must, 
however, depend on the completion of the great road 
over the mountains, to which the present administra- 
tion have laudably directed their attention, with a de- 
gree of zeal commensurate to the importance of the 
work in a national point of view. 

I must not omit noticing another production in this 
district, which will rise in utility and value as the port 
of St. Francisco improves. Toward the north there 
are woods of fine large pines, exceedingly hard, tough, 
and full of resin. They constitute a singular variety 
of the genus Pinus ; the boughs branch off from the 
upper part of the tree only, and have tussocks of leaves 
at each extremity. A tree eighty feet high, for in- 
stance, will appear without branches to the height of 
about fifty -five feet, the branches there extend horizon- 
tally in every direction, with leaves at their extremities,. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



67 



the lowest and largest to a distance of fourteen or fif- 
teen feet from the stem, and the higher ones gradually 
diminishing in length towards the top, which ends in a 
tuft of leaves as a crown for the whole. These trees 
are very picturesque, and indeed beautiful ; they grow 
to a sufficient size to serve as masts for ships of two or 
three hundred tons ; I was told there were much larger 
ones to be found. 

Resuming: our voyage, we left San Francisco, and, 
passing the port of Cananea, arrived near the entrance 
of the harbour of Santos. The coast along which we 
sailed is low and flat, and on its verge are some poor 
fishing-huts, which rather add to the dreariness of its 
appearance. It is covered with lofty trees, which also 
fringe the mountainous scenery beyond it. Several 
rivers occur, of little note in geography, but highly ad- 
vantageous to the settlers, as they pass the very doors 
of their dwellings, and afford easy means for the trans- 
port of produce from the interior. On nearing San- 
tos, we passed several bold rocks, called the Alca- 
trases, and a ledge or reef, on which the sea broke furi- 
ously. The main land is very elevated and mountain- 
ous, so much so that the low grounds which extend 
from its base are scarcely perceptible from the heights 
next beyond them. 

The harbour of Santos has a safe entrance, and is 
very secure ; it is a strait, having the island of St. Vin- 
cent to the left, for the extent of half a mile, when it 
takes a different direction. Here is situated the port, 
which has good anchorage, with regular soundings to- 
wards the shore, which shoals gradually. The currents 
and eddies cause some inconvenience, and the high 
land occasions much variation in the winds, which per- 
plexes mariners on their entrance into the narrows : 
but as the water is not deep, and the current far from 
strong, a ship is safe the moment her anchor is let go, 
and by means of a boat and kedge she may be placed 
in any situation the pilot chooses. The part called 
the narrows is defended by two forts, on passing which 
there is a kind of lagoon of three or four leagues m 



68 



TRAVELS IN THE 



length, almost full of mangroves, terminated by the 
Santos, one of the oldest European settlements in Bra- 
zil. In common with St. Paul's, it owes its origin to 
the first shipwreck on the island of St. Vincent. The 
river or lagoon has three or four fathoms water and a 
muddy bottom. Santos is a place of considerable trade, 
being the store-house of the great captaincy of St, 
Paul's, and the resort of many vessels trading to the 
Rio de la Plata. It is tolerably well built, and its popu- 
lation, consisting chiefly of merchants, shop-keepers, 
and artificers, amounts to six or seven thousand souls. 
The situation is by no means healthy, as the country 
around it is low, woody, and frequently deluged with 
rain, by reason of the high mountains in its vicinity, 
which impede the passage of the clouds. Several rivu- 
lets flowing from the foot of these mountains intersect 
the land in various directions, and unite in one great 
river a little above the town of Santos. The rice of 
this district, which is grown in great quantities, is con- 
sidered the best in Brazil, and the bananas are equally 
noted. 

From this port the Spanish territories, as well as Rio 
Grande, receive a great proportion of their sugar, cof- 
fee, rum, rice, mandioca, indigo, &c. ; in return they 
bring hides and tallow, which are generally exported 
hence to Europe. The Portugueze send much of 
their produce to the Spanish colonies, and are generally 
ill paid : but the shortness of the voyage, and the want 
of other markets, tempt many young men to speculate, 
notwithstanding the heavy duties and the numberless 
petty obstacles with which their neighbours have im- 
peded and encumbered this commerce. A Spaniard 
in his own country rarely allows even a shadow of jus- 
tice to a Portugueze ; he uses a thousand artifices for 
procrastinating the decision of a cause at issue between 
them, till the latter, when his patience is completely ex- 
hausted, finds that he is likely to derive nothing from 
the contest but immense piles of law- papers, frequently 
written on the most trivial points in litigation, and paid 
for at an exorbitant price. If he persevere after all this 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



69 



disappointment, it generally happens that another alcal- 
de or judge is appointed, and then the business is laid 
on the shelf. The injured Portugueze, after so much 
waste of time and money, is threatened with worse con- 
sequences, and frequently is obliged to leave the coun- 
try ruined and in disgust. 

As Santos is the embarking place of St. Paul's, its 
intercourse with that town is very considerable. In 
the course of a day several hundred mules frequently 
arrive, loaded with the produce of the country, and re- 
turn with salt, iron, copper, earthen wares, and Euro- 
pean manufactures. For the traffic of its immediate 
vicinity, it has the convenience of water-carriage, its 
river being navigable about twenty miles, up to Cuber- 
ton, where an officer with a guard of soldiers is station- 
ed to receive the King's duties for the repair of the 
roads and other public purposes. 

The governor of Santos being subject, in all cases, 
to the governor of St. Paul's, we applied to him for 
permission to go thither, which was immediately grant- 
ed. It was now eight in the evening, and we were 
without an asylum for the night. I had several letters 
of recommendation, not one of which procured us any 
civility : and we found that the inhabitants were far 
from being courteous to strangers. We were willing 
to impute this to want of convenient accommodations : 
but it may be generally observed, that along the whole 
coast the same shyness prevails, while in the interior 
the people vie with each other in acts of hospitality. — - 
Perhaps in all countries this duty is most practised 
where the occasions for its exercise most rarely occur. 

Being unable to procure a bed at Santos, we were 
obliged to engage a canoe to convey us up the river to 
Cuberton, where we arrived at two in the morning, and 
were introduced into the guard-house for a lodging. — - 
The corporal being called up, accommodated us as well 
as he was able ; we lay down on the softest planks we 
could find, and made pillows of our portmanteaus : but 
though much weaned, we found ourselves little dispos- 
ed to sleep on so uneasy a couch. At sunrise, when 



70 



TRAVELS IN THE 



we got up, an extraordinary and busy scene presented 
itself; before the guard-house was a large space of 
ground enclosed by the storehouse and other out-build- 
ings, and here above a hundred mules were led out to 
be harnessed and loaded ; the gentleness and tractabili- 
ty of these fine large animals pleased us much, and the 
expertness of their masters, particularly of the negroes, 
in placing and replacing the burdens, was truly surpris- 
ing. 

From the good corporal, who was commanding- 
officer here, we received every attention, and much 
more civility than we had reason to expect from the 
experience we had of the unaccommodating disposition 
of the people in Santos, in much better circumstances 
than himself. He procured us a good breakfast, and 
furnished us with saddle mules for our journey, at the 
rate of ten shillings each, the distance being eight 
leagues. Having obtained a guide we mounted, and 
proceeded about half a mile, when we reached the foot 
of the stupendous mountains we had to cross. The 
road is good and welkpaved, but narrow, and on ac- 
count of the rugged acclivities is cut in a zig-zag direc- 
tion, with very frequent and abrupt turnings continu- 
ally on the ascent. The trains of loaded mules which 
we met on their way to Santos rendered the passage 
disagreeable, and at times dangerous. In many places 
the road is cut through the solid rock for several feet, in 
others along the perpendicular sides, and it leads fre- 
quently over the tops of conical mountains, along the 
edge of precipices, down which the traveller is liable 
to be t'^jown into* an impervious thicket fall thirty 
vards below. These dangerous places are secured by 
parapets. After ascending for an hour and a half, dur- 
ing which time we made innumerable turnings, we ar- 
rived at a resting place, near which, at a spot a little 
lower than the road, we found water. This place, as 
our guide informed us, was only half-way to the sum- 
mit ; we were astonished at the intelligence, as the 
clouds were already so far below us that they obstruct- 
ed our prospect. During our progress hither, we ol> 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



71 



served that the mules travel as quick on an ascent as 
on level ground ; they much excel the horse in uneven 
roads with sharp turnings, and still more so in bad 
roads. 

To attempt the geology of mountains so covered by 
vegetable matter would be a difficult task ; the compo- 
nent parts of those along which we passed appeared to 
be granite, and frequently soft crumbling ferruginous 
sand-stone. Some picturesque streams bursting from 
their high sources form fine cascades, and in crossing 
the road force their way through many detached and 
round masses of granite. The woods are so thick in 
every part, except where the mules tread, that no soil 
can be seen ; the branches of the trees in some places 
meet and form an arbour over the road, which shades 
the traveller from the heat of the sun, and shelters him 
from rain. 

After resting for about twenty minutes, we again 
mounted, and resumed our ascent. The road present- 
ed at times four or five zig-zags above us at one view, 
and gave us fresh reason for astonishment at the com- 
pletion of a work so fraught with difficulties. The 
millions of crowns which must have been expended in 
clearing the woods and thickets in its course, and in 
cutting through the solid rock for a considerable dis- 
tance, as well as in paving it through the whole extent 
of the ridge, afford no mean idea of the enterprising 
spirit of the Brazilians. Few public works, even in 
Europe, are superior to it ; and if we consider that, 
as the district through which it passes, is but thinly in- 
habited, the labour bestowed on it must have been pur- 
chased most dearly, we shall hardly find one in any 
country so well completed under similar disadvantages. 

In three hours we reached the summit, a plain of 
considerable extent, the lowest estimated height of 
which is six thousand feet. The surface is chiefly 
composed of quartz covered with sand. The sea, 
though distant twenty milts, seemed to us as if it wash- 
ed the foot of the mountains ; the level part of the coast 
and the port of Santos below us came not within the 



72 



TRAVELS Ift THE 



angle of vision. While we enjoyed this sublime pros- 
pect, we were refreshed by a cool breeze, which renew - 
ed our strength and spirits, and enabled us to pursue 
our journey with alacrity. Advancing about a mile 
and a half, we came to a part of the road which was 
cut several feet deep through the rock, and observed 
in this quarter many small streams which, though con- 
tiguous to the sea, all flow in a south-west course to an 
immense distance, and, uniting, form the great river 
Corrientes, which joins the Plata. This circumstance 
will sufficiently explain the form of this mighty ridge 
of mountains, namely, that the highest and steepest side 
fronts the sea, and that the other shelves more gradual- 
ly and with more frequent outlets to the plains of the 
interior. This part of the road is lined by fine trees 
and large thickets on both sides. The heavy rains of 
the season (December) had damaged it in various parts ; 
the readiest mode of repairing these breaks is to cut 
down several trees, about seven inches diameter, place 
them across, and fasten them down with hooked stakes. 
The mules which travel these rugged declivities, though 
far more hardy than horses, frequently fall victims to 
fatigue ; we observed some dead by the way- side. In 
the course of our route we passed several parties of ne- 
groes and some of Indians, working at repairs in the 
road, or making new branches from it. Some of them 
I noticed with swellings in the neck, though very dif- 
ferent from those I have observed in Derbyshire and 
other mountainous countries. In the case of these In- 
dians not only there appeared that protuberance from 
the glands commonly called a wen, but lumps of from 
half an inch to three inches in diameter hung from it 
in an almost botryoidal form. 

After crossing several rivulets and passing a few 
houses, we arrived at a tolerable inn, belonging to an 
officer of militia, where we were soon provided with 
plenty of milk, coffee, and fowls. It is distant eighteen 
or twenty miles from St. Paul's, and may be considered 
as half-way between that town and Santos. The owner, 
who was much surprised to see Englishmen, treated 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



71 



us with every civility, and procured us a change of 
saddle-mules. While they were preparing, he shewed 
us a tract of land in front of his house, tolerably well- 
cleared, where we took an hour's shooting. We then 
proceeded through a much more open country, which 
bore the traces of former cultivation, and seemed 
of late to have been much neglected. As we drew 
nearer St. Paul's, the road improved, and was enliven- 
ed by a greater number of inhabitants in its vicinity. 
We passed two convents, which had the air of conve- 
nient houses, and were distinguished by large crosses 
erected before them. The land was watered by seve- 
ral fine streams ; in one part we observed a quarry of 
ferruginous grit- stone, but we had not leisure to make 
much rnineralogical research. St. Paul's, although on 
an elevated site, is not observed at any great distance 
in this direction. In its immediate neighbourhood 
the river runs parallel to the road, which it sometimes 
partially overflows, and covers with sand. To our left 
we saw a large astallage, or inn, where numbers of 
mules are unloaded, and travellers commonly pass the 
night. It consists of a very large shed, supported 
upon upright pieces of timber, with separate divisions 
for receiving the cargoes or burdens of the mules, 
each traveller occupying as many as his goods require ; 
and there is a piece of ground, of about a hundred 
yards in circumference, planted with small upright 
stakes at ten or fifteen feet distance, to which the brir 
dies of the mules are tied while they are fed, saddled, 
and loaded. These astallages are common in ail parts 
of Brazil. 

On entering the town, although we had expected 
much from its being the capital of the district, and the 
residence of the governor, yet we were struck with the 
neat appearance of its houses, stuccoed in various co- 
lours ; those in the principal streets were two or three 
stories high. Having arrived an hour or two before 
sun-set, we walked to the house of a gentleman, to 
whom we had a letter of recommendation, but he being 

K 



72 



TRAVELS IN THE 



absent, we were obliged to pass the night at the astaL 
lage, where our mules had been put up. It was a mi- 
serable abode. The next morning we breakfasted with 
our friend, and were conducted by him to the govern- 
or, Brigadier General Orte, who honoured us with an 
invitation to dinner ; permitted a perishable cargo of 
my friend's property, which was lying at Santos, to be 
unloaded ; and gave us a general welcome to his pa- 
lace. We had the good fortune to find that two of His 
Excellency's aides-de-camp, men of excellent charac- 
ter, had been educated in England. They assisted us 
in obtaining lodgings ; rendered us every service that 
we stood in need of ; and shewed an earnest desire to 
make our stay as agreeable as possible. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



73 



CHAPTER V. 



Description of St. Paul's. — System of Farming pre- 
valent in its Neighbourhood. — Excursion to the Gold 
Mines of Jaragaa. — Mode of working them.— Re- 
turn to Santos, 

ST. PAUL'S is situated on a pleasing eminence of 
about two miles in extent, surrounded on three 
sides by low meadow land, and washed at the base by 
rivulets, which almost insulate it in rainy weather. It 
is connected with the high land by a narrow ridge. The 
rivulets flow into a pretty large stream, called the Tieti 9 
which runs within a mile of the town in a south-west di- 
rection. Over them are several bridges, some of stone, 
and others of wood, built by the late governor. The 
streets of St. Paul's, owing to its elevation (about 50 
feet above the plain,) and the water which almost sur- 
rounds it, are in general remarkably clean. The mate- 
rial with which they are paved, is lamillary grit-stone, 
cemented by oxide of iron, and containing large peb- 
bles of rounded quartz, approximating to the conglo- 
merate. This pavement is an alluvial formation, con- 
taining gold, many particles of which metal are found 
in the chinks and hollows, after heavy rains, and at 
such seasons are diligently sought for by the poorer sort 
of people. 

This city was founded by the Jesuits, who were pro- 
bably tempted by the gold mines in the vicinity, more 
than by the salubrity of its air, which, however, is not 
excelled by any on the whole continent of South Ame- 
rica. The medium of the thermometer here is between 
50 and 80 degrees ; in a morning I have observed it at 
48, and even lower, though I was not there in the win- 
ter months. The rains are by no means heavy, or of 
long continuance : and the thunder-storms are far from 



TRAVELS IN THE 



being violent. The cold in the evenings was frequent 
ly so considerable that I was obliged to shut my doors 
and windows, put on more clothes, and have a pan of 
of embers in the room, there being no chimneys. 

Here are several squares, and about thirteen places of 
religious worship ; namely, two convents, three monas- 
teries, and eight churches, the greater part of which, 
as well as of the whole town, is built of earth. The 
mode of erecting the walls is as follows : a frame is 
constructed of six moveable planks placed edge-wise, op- 
posite each other, and secured in this position by cross- 
pieces bolted with moveable pins. Earth is put in by 
small quantities, which the workmen beat with ram- 
mers, and occasionally moisten the water to give it 
consistency. Having filled the frame or trough, they 
remove it, and continue the same operation till the whole 
shell of the house is completed, taking care to leave 
vacancies, and put in the window-frames, door-frames, 
and beams as they proceed. The mass in course of 
time becomes indurated, the walls are pared perfectly 
smooth inside, and take any colour the owner chooses 
to give them ; they are generally enriched with very in- 
genious devices. This species of structure is durable. 
I have seen some houses thus built, that have lasted 
two hundred years, and most of them have several sto- 
ries. The roofs are made to project two or three feet 
beyond the wall, in order to throw off the rain to a dis- 
tance from the base. Spouts might be a more effec- 
tual preservative against wet : but their use is little 
known here. They cover the houses with gutter-tiles : 
but, though the country affords excellent clay, and plen- 
ty of wood, very few bricks are burnt. 

The population of this place amounts to full fifteen 
thousand souls: perhaps nenr twenty thousand. The 
clergy, including all ranks of religious orders, may be 
reckoned at five hundred. They are in general good 
members of society, free from that excessive bigotry 
and iiiiberality which is the reproach of the neighbour- 
ing colonies : and their example has so beneficial an 
effect on the rest of the inhabitants, that I may pre- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



75 



sume to say, no stranger will be molested while he acts 
as a gentleman, and does not insult the established reli- 
gion. His Excellency the Bishop is a most worthy pre- 
late : and, were the inferior orders, in his diocese, to fol- 
low his steps in cultivating the sciences, and diffusing 
useful information, they would command greater res- 
pect from their flocks, and by that means further the in- 
terests of the religion they profess. Priests, so ignor- 
ant, can hardly escape contempt. 

No endemial diseases at present prevail here. The 
small pox formerly, and indeed of late, made great ha- 
voc among the inhabitants : but its progress has been 
checked by the introduction of vaccine innoculatiom 
Professors attended at a large hall belonging to the go- 
vernor, tq which the public were invited, and the ope= 
ration was performed gratis. It is to be hoped that the cre- 
dit of this preventive will make its way among the peo- 
ple here ; for they are not competent to enter into the 
merits of that controversy which injured it in Europe. 

Here are few manufacturers of any consequence. A 
little coarse cotton is spun by the hand, and woven into 
cloth, which serves for a variety of wearing apparel, 
sheets, &c. They make a beautiful kind of net-work 
for hammocks, which are fringed with lace, and form 
an elegant piece of furniture, being slung low, so as to 
answer the purpose of sofas. The ladies are particu- 
larly fond of using them, especially when the heat of 
the weather disposes them to ease and indolence. The 
making of lace is a general employment for females, 
some of whom excel in it. The shop-keepers here are 
a numerous class, who, as in most colonial towns, 
deal in almost every thing, and sometimes make great 
fortunes. Here are few doctors of medicine," but 
many apothecaries; some silver-smiths, whose articles 
are equally indifferent both in metal and workmanship ; 
tailors and shoe- makers in great numbers ; and joiners, 
who manufacture very beautiful wood, but are not so 
moderate in their charges as the former classes of trades- 
men. In the out-skirts of the city live a number of 
Creolian Indians, who make earthen-ware for culinary 



TRAVELS IN THE 



purposes, large water-jars, and a variety of other uten- 
sils, ornamented with some taste. The greatest propor- 
tion of the inhabitants consists in farmers and inferior 
husbandmen, who cultivate small portions of land, on 
which they breed large stocks of pigs and poultry for 
sale. With these the market is generally well supplied; 
and in the fruit- season is also stored with pines, grapes, 
peaches, guavas, bananas, a few apples, and an enor- 
mous quantity of quinces. 

Esculent plants are grown in great profusion and va- 
riety. Here is a favourite bulbous root, called the Ca- 
ra, which is equal to the best potatoe, and even more 
farinaceous. It grows to about five inches in diameter, 
and affords excellent food, either boiled or roasted. 
Here are fine cabbages, sallad-herbs, turnips, cauli- 
flowers, artichokes, and potatoes ; the latter, though 
very good, are little used ; the sweet potatoe is in 
greater request among the natives. Maize, beans, 
green-peas, and every species of pulse flourish amaz- 
ingly. Fowls are cheap ; we bought some at three- 
pence and six -pence each ; small pigs from one to two 
shillings ; and flitches of bacon, cured after the mode of 
the country, at about two-pence per pound. Turkies, 
geese, and ducks are abundant, and reasonable in 
price. The latter are of the Muscovy breed, enor- 
mously large, some weighing ten or fourteen pounds. 
Here is a singular breed of cocks ; they resemble the 
common English in plumage and shape; but they 
crow very loud, and continue their last note for a minute 
or two. When their voice is good, they are much es- 
teemed, and are sent for as curiosities from all parts of 
Brazil. The cattle are in general good, considering 
that so little attention is paid to feeding them. When 
their pastures are full of grass, they are tolerably fat; 
but when otherwise, they become lean. A drove may 
be bought at 24s. or 30s. a head; beef at about a pen- 
ny or three half-pence per pound. The curriers have a 
singular method of blackening cow-hides and calf- 
skins. When they have prepared them for that ope- 
ration, they search for some mud -hole at the bottom 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



of a ferruginous stratum, a ditch for instance : with 
the mud they cover that side of the skin required to be 
stained ; and they prefer this material to the solution of 
copperas, probably with reason, as the sulphate of iron 
formed by the decomposed pyrites acts more mildly 
in this state than when applied in the common way. 

The horses are very fine, and in general docile ; 
when well trained they make excellent chargers. Their 
size is from 12\ to 144 hands : and they vary in price 
from three pounds to twelve. Mules, as we have 
before observed, are considered more useful beasts of 
burden. The breed of sheep is quite unattended to, 
and mutton is rarely or never eaten. Here is a very 
fine and large breed of goats, whose milk is generally 
used for domestic purposes. The dogs are very indif- 
ferent, and of no distinct race. 

In my walks round the city, I had frequent oppor- 
tunities of examining the singular succession of hori- 
zontal strata, that form the eminence on which it stands. 
They lie in the following order : —first, one of red 
vegetable earth of variable depth, impregnated with 
oxide of iron ; below that, sand and adventitious matter 
of different shades of colour, as ochre-red, brown, and 
dusky yellow, together with many rounded pebbles, 
which indicate it to be of rather recent formation. It 
varies in depth from three to six feet, or perhaps to 
seven, and its lower part is uniformly yellow : under 
this is a bed of exceedingly fine clay of various colours, 
but for the most part purple ; the white and yellow is 
the purest in quality ; it is interveined with thin layers 
of sand in various directions. Then succeeds, a stra- 
tum of alluvial matter, is very ferruginous ; it rests on a 
half- decomposed substance, apparently migrating from 
a granite, in which the proportion of feld-spar exceeds 
that of the quartz and mica.* The whole is incuni- 



* Probably the colouring matter arises from decomposition of the mica. I 
have frequently observed a mass of granite having its surface decomposed 
into a red clay, in which the particles of mica were hardly perceptible, 
while the compact rock below contained a very fair proportion of that 
•substance. 



78 



TRAVELS IN THE 



bent on compact granite. The sides of the mount are 
steep, and in some places nearly perpendicular.* 

The fertility of the country around St. Paul's may 
be inferred from the quantities of produce, with which, 
(as I have stated,) its market is supplied. About a 
century ago, this tract abounded with gold ; and it was 
not until they had exhausted it by washing, that the 
inhabitants thought of employing themselves in hus- 
bandry. As they did so more from necessity than from 
choice, they were tardy in pursuing those improvements 
which other nations have made in this noble art ; and, 
pining at the disappearance of the precious mineral, 
considered their new occupation as vile and degrading. 
Indeed throughout the whole of Brazil, the husband- 
men have ever been considered as forming a class 
greatly inferior in point of respectability to the miners ; 
and this prejudice will, in all likelihood, subsist until 
the country shall have been drained of its gold and 
diamonds ; when the people will be compelled to seek 
in agriculture a constant and inexhausted source of 
wealth. 

I shall attempt to describe the system of farming 
which at present prevails in the neighbourhood of St. 
Paul's. It has been elsewhere observed, that, in this 
extensive empire, land is granted in large tracts, on 
proper application ; and we may naturally suppose that 
the value of these tracts depends more or less on their 
situation. It therefore becomes the first object of a 
cultivator, to look out for unoccupied lands as near as 
possible to a large town. Good roads and navigable 
rivers are the desiderata next in point of consequence 
which he attends to. When he has made choice of a 
situation, he applies to the governor of the district, who 
orders the proper officers to mark out the extent requir- 
ed, generally a league, or a league and a half square, 
sometimes more. The cultivator then purchases as 
many negroes as he can, and commences his operations 



| In one part of the town is found a beautiful species of decomposed 
granite, consisting 1 of extremely white feld-spar, quartz, and very little mica 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



79 



by erecting habitations for them and himself, which are 
generally miserable sheds, supported by four posts, and 
commonly called ranchos. His negroes are then direct- 
ed to cut down the trees and brushwood growing on 
the land, to such an extent as he thinks they will be 
able to manage. This done, they set fire to all they 
have cut, as it lies on the ground. Much of the suc- 
cess of his harvest depends on this burning. If the 
whole be reduced to ashes, he expects a great crop ; if, 
through wet weather, the felled trees remain only half 
burnt, he prognosticates a bad one. When the ground 
is cleared, the negroes dibble it with their hoes, and sow 
their maize, beans, or other pulse. During the opera- 
tion they cut down any thing very much in the way, 
but never think of working the soil. After sowing as 
much seed as is thought requisite, they prepare other 
ground for planting cassada, here called mandioca, the 
root of which is generally eaten as bread by all ranks in 
Brazil. The soil* for this purpose is rather better pre- 
pared ; it is raked up in little round hillocks, not unlike 
mole-hills, about four feet asunder ; into which are 
stuck cuttings from branches of the plant, about an 
inch thick and six or eight long ; these soon take root, 
and put forth leaves, shoots, and buds. When enough 
has been planted for the entire consumption of the farm, 
the owner,, if he is rich enough, prepares means for 
growing and manufacturing sugar. He first employs 
a carpenter to cut wood, and build a mill with wooden 
rollers for crushing the canes, by means of water if a 
stream is at hand, if not, by the help of mules. While 
some of the negroes are assisting the carpenter, others 
are employed in preparing ground in the same way as 
for mandioca. Pieces of cane containing three or four 
joints, and in length about six inches, cut from the 
growing stem, are laid in the earth nearly horizontally, 
and are covered with soil to the depth of about four 
inches. They shoot up rapidly, and in three months 



* Mandioca requires a drv hot soil, of a sandy nature. 

L 



80 



TRAVELS IN THE 



have a bushy appearance not unlike flags ; in twelve or 
fifteen months more they are ready for cutting. In rich 
virgin soil it is not uncommon to see canes twelve feet 
high and astonishingly thick. 

The Indian corn and pulse are in general ripe in four 
months or eighteen weeks. The average return is two 
hundred for one ; it is a bad harvest when it falls short 
of one hundred and fifty. 

The mandioca is rarely ready to take up in less than 
eighteen or twenty months ; if the land be suitable, it 
then produces from six to twelve pound weight per 
plant.* They grow very little indigo in this neighbour- 
hood, and what they have is of indifferent quality. 
Their pumpkins are of enormous size, and sometimes 
are served up as table-vegetables, but more frequently 
given as food to the horses. Melons here are scarcely 
palatable. 

In no branch of husbandry are the farmers so defec- 
tive as in the management of cattle. No artificial 
grasses are cultivated ; no enclosures are made ; nor is 
any fodder laid up against the season of scarcity. The 
cows are never milked regularly ; they seem to be con- 
sidered rather as an incumbrance to a farm than a 
valuable part of the stock. They constantly require 
salt, which is given them once in fifteen or twenty days, 
in small proportions. The dairies, if such they may be 
called, are managed in so slovenly a manner, that the 
little butter that is made becomes rancid in a few days, 
and the cheese is good for nothing. In this essential 
department they are deplorably deficient ; rarely indeed 
is there to be seen a farm with one convenience belong. 



* This generous root requires but little preparation to make it serve as a 
substitute for bread. When taken out of the ground they wash and scrape 
it clean, and then rasp it on a coarse grater of iron or copper, press the juice 
from it, and place it on a hot surface, a shallow copper-pan for instance, 
four or five feet in diameter, or a clay one, with a brisk fire underneath ; 
while drying it is constantly stirred, and when the moisture is completely 
evaporated, it is immediately fit For use. IF preserved from wet, it will keep 
good a long time. In broths and soups it becomes gelatinous, and affords 
rich nourishment; it is particularly good when eaten with cheese. The 
wild or spurious mandioca, called Ipe, is little inferior, when roasted, to fine 
diesnuts. The Portuguese introduce it at table, boiled as well as roasted. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



81 



ing to it. For want of proper places in which to store 
their produce, they are obliged to lay it in promiscuous 
heaps ; and it is not uncommon to see coffee, cotton, 
maize, and beans, thrown into the corners of a damp 
shed, and covered with a green hide. One half is 
invariably spoiled by mould and putridity, and the 
remainder is much deteriorated, through this idle and 
stupid negligence. 

They feed their pigs on Indian corn in a crude state ; 
the time for confining them to fatten is at eight or ten 
months old ; and the quantity consumed for the pur- 
pose is eight or ten Winchester bushels each. When 
killed, the lean is cut off the sides as clean as possible ; 
the fat is cured with very little salt, and in a few days is 
ready for market. The ribs, chine-bone, and lean parts 
are dryed for home consumption. 

The farm-houses are miserable hovels of one story, 
the floor neither paved nor boarded, and the walls and 
partitions formed of wickerwork plastered with mud, 
and never under-drawn. For an idea of the kitchen, 
which ought to be the cleanest and most comfortable 
part of the dwelling, the reader may figure to himself a 
filthy room with an uneven muddy floor, interspersed 
with pools of slop- water, and in different parts fire- 
places formed by three round stones to hold the earthen 
pots that are used for boiling meat. As green wood is 
the chief fuel, the place is almost always filled with 
smoke, which, finding no chimney, vents itself through 
the doors and other apertures, and leaves all within as 
black as soot. I regret to say ihat the kitchens of many 
opulent people are in not much better condition. 

It may well be imagined that in a country like this, 
a stranger finds the greatest comfort and enjoyment out 
of doors. The gardens in St, Paul's, and its vicinity, 
are laid out with great taste, and many of them with 
curious elegance. The jasmine is every where a 
favourite tree ; and in this fine climate bears flowers 
perennially, as does the rose. Carnations, pinks, 
passion-flowers, cocks-combs, &c. grow in great plenty ; 
one of their most estimable shrubs is the Palma Christi, 



TRAVELS IN THE 



which gives fruit the first year, and yields abundance of 
castor-oil, which all families possess in such quantity, 
that no other sort is burnt. 

Bees are by no means uncommon ; they are easily 
domesticated, and, I believe, are perfectly harmless. 
Their honey is pleasant. The wax, particularly that 
generally sold, which is taken from their nests in old 
forest- trees, is very foul, but might be purified by a very 
simple process. The woods contain a great variety of 
animals of the monkey kind, and also beasts of prey, 
some of which have tolerably good fur. Among these 
may be classed a peculiar species of the otter. Insects 
are numerous, but the mosquitos are^ not so offensively 
so as in the Rio de la Plata. The animalculum, called 
the niagua or jigger, is troublesome ; it beds itself under 
the nails of the toes, and sometimes of the fingers, but 
it may easily be banished by extracting it and its bag of 
eggs with a needle, and filling the cavity with calomel 
or snuff, for fear any should have remained. Reptiles, 
I was told, were very numerous ; but I saw few, except 
toads, which in the evenings crawl upon the foot paths, 
and even infest the streets of the city. The sorocooco 
or jararraca (serpents) are said to be very dangerous. 

The woods produce large and durable timber, well 
calculated for building. Of their trees, all of which 
retain their Indian names, some yield very fine gums. 
The jacaranda, called in England rosewood, is here 
very common. Many of their shrubs bear beautiful 
flowers, and are very aromatic. Among the innumera- 
ble creeping plants which clothe the soil of their un- 
cleared lands, there are some distinguished as infallible 
antidotes to the bite of venomous reptiles ; one in 
particular, called the corazao de Jesu,* is universally 
esteemed. 

Beyond the plain which nearly encircles St. Paul's, 
the country is hilly, or rather mountainous. Had the 
period of my stay been longer, I should have devoted 
some time to a geological tour in that district ; but having 



* Its leaf is shaped like a heart 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



83 



urgent reasons to hasten my departure for Kio de 
Janeiro, I had leisure to take only one excursion of 
this kind. The governor invited me to visit the old 
gold-mines of Jaragua, the first discovered in Brazil, 
which were now his property, together with a farm in 
their vicinity, distant about twenty-four miles from the 
city. We travelled along a tolerable, and in some 
places, fine road, in a southerly direction, for twelve 
miles, and crossed the Tieti. This river is here con- 
siderably larger and deeper than in the neighbourhood 
of St. Paul's. It has an excellent wooden bridge, free 
from toll. On its banks there are some situations 
truly enviable ; fine rich virgin lands covered with tim- 
ber, and capable of producing, not only the necessaries, 
but the luxuries of life, in a hundredfold degree, if 
properly cultivated. It was melancholy to behold a 
territory, which, for its teeming soil and genial climate, 
deserves to be called a paradise, neglected and solitary 
like that of Eden after the fall ; while its infatuated 
possessors, like the offspring of Cain, hungering for 
gold, kept aloof from the rich feast which nature here 
spread before them. 

After travelling onward four leagues, we arrived at 
the ancient mines of Jaragua, famed for the immense 
treasures they produced nearly two centuries ago, when 
at the ports of Santos and St. Vincent, whence the gold 
was shipped for Europe, this district was regarded as 
the Peru of Brazil. The face of the country is uneven 
and rather mountainous. The rock, where it is ex- 
posed, appears to be primitive granite, inclining to 
gneiss, with a portion of hornblende, and frequently 
mica. The soil is red, and remarkably ferruginous, 
in many places apparently of great depth. The gold 
lies, for the most part, in a stratum of rounded pebbles 
and gravel, called cascalhao, immediately incumbent 
on the solid rock. In the valleys, where there is water, 
occur frequent excavations, made by the gold- washers, 
to a considerable extent, some of them fifty or a hun 
dred feet wide, and eighteen or twenty deep. On 



84 



TRAVELS IN THE 



manv of the hills, where water can be collected for 
washing, particles of gold are found in the soil, little 
deeper than the roots of the grass. 

The mode of working these mines, more fitly to be 
denominated washings, is simple, and may be easily 
explained. 

Suppose a loose gravel-like stratum of rounded 
quartzose pebbles and adventitious matter, incumbent 
on granite and covered by earthy matter, of variable 
thickness. Where water of sufficiently high Jevel can 
be commanded, the ground is cut in steps, each 
twenty or thirty feet wide, two or three broad, and 
about one deep. Near the bottom a trench is cut to 
the depth of two or three feet. On each step, stand 
six or eight negroes, who, as the water flows gently 
from above, keep the earth continually in motion with 
shovels, until the whole is reduced to liquid mud and 
washed below. The particles of gold contained in this 
earth descend to the trench, where by reason of their 
specific gravity, they quickly precipitate. Workmen 
are continually employed at the trench to remove the 
stones, and clear away the surface, which operation is 
much assisted by the current of water which falls into 
it. After five day's washing, the precipitation in the 
trench is carried to some convenient stream, to undergo 
a second clearance. For this purpose Wooden bowls 
are provided, of a funnel shape, about two feet wide at 
the mouth, and five or six inches deep, called gamellas. 
Each workman standing in the stream, takes into his 
bowl five or six pounds weight of the sediment, which 
generally consists of heavy matter, such as oxide of 
iron, pyrites, ferruginous quartz, &c. of a dark car- 
bonaceous hue. They admit certain quantities of 
water into the bow 7 Is, which they move about so dex- 
terously, that the precious metal, separating from the 
inferior and lighter substances, settles to the bottom and 
sides of the vessel. They then rinse their bowls in a 
larger vessel of clean w r ater, leaving the gold in it ; and 
begin again. The washing of each bowlful occupies 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



85 



from five to eight or nine minutes. The gold pro- 
duced is extremely variable in quantity, and in the size 
of its particles, some of which, are so minute, that they 
float, while others are found as large as peas, and not 
unfrequently much larger. This operation is superin- 
tended by overseers, as the result is of considerable 
importance. When the whole is finished, the gold is 
borne home to be dried, and at a convenient time is 
taken to the permutation office, where it is weighed, 
and a fifth is reserved for the Prince. The remainder 
is smelted by fusion with muriate of mercury, cast into 
ingots, assayed, and stamped according to its intrinsic 
value, a certificate of which is given with it ; after a 
copy of that instrument has been duly entered at the 
mint-office, the ingots circulate as specie. 

My attention was strongly engaged by the immense 
debris or refuse of old washings, which lay in number- 
less heaps, and contained various substances that gave 
me strong hope of finding some interesting and valuable 
specimens of tourmalines, topazes, and other crystalliza- 
tions, and also a rich series of rocks, which might form 
the geognostics of the country. So strongly was I 
prepossessed with this hope, that I really fancied I had 
within my reach some of the finest mineral products of 
Brazil. Early one morning, before the sun became 
too hot for work, I set out accompanied by two or three 
men, with iron crows and hammers, whom I had en- 
gaged to assist me, We broke up immense quanti- 
ties of quartzose and granite-like matter in various 
stages of decomposition, and others of a ferruginous 
kind, but after pursuing the operation for three whole 
days, until my hands could no longer wield the ham- 
mer, I was obliged to give up the search as fruitless ; 
not a grain of gold did I find, nor any thing of the na- 
ture of crystallization, except some miserable quartz, a 
little cubic and octaedral pyrites, and some very poor 
manganese ! In short the substances presented so little 
novelty, and were in themselves so ordinary, that I 
hesitated whether I should carry them with me to St, 



86 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Paul's. This disappointment at the first gold mines I 
had seen, not a little dejected me. 

In company with the Governor and his lady, I now 
took a survey of the farm ; we walked and rode through 
extensive plantations, the productions of which, as well 
as the mode of culture pursued, were similar to those 
I have already described. Our next recreation was 
hunting the deer. Let not the reader imagine that I 
am going to lead him a chase through miles of country 
with a pack of hounds and a joyous company of horse- 
men ; the mode of hunting in Brazil affords no such 
diversion. Three or four men go out armed with guns 
and attended by two or three dogs ; the men separate 
and wait in some open place ; meanwhile the dogs 
quest among the plantations and thickets ; if they find, 
they drive the game out, which the hunters immedi- 
ately shoot. The deer are small, and of the fallow 
kind ; but their flesh is not esteemed. 

The wild animals of this district are chiefly monkeys^ 
sloths, a variety of the porcupine, and opossums. 
These, and other predatory beasts, make great havoc 
among the poultry. Of the feathered tribe there are 
not many varieties ; I shot several becassinas and beau- 
tiful lap\vings# with horns on each pinion, about half 
an inch in length. Here are great numbers of parrots 
and parroquets. 

The vampire. bat, so often described by travellers, is 
a most formidable foe to the horses and mules. If he 
gets access to them in the night, he fixes on the neck- 
vein, above the shoulder, and sucks it to such a degree 
as to leave the animal almost covered with blood, 
fanning with his wings all the while he retains his hold, 
in order (as it should seem) to lull the pain caused by 
his bite. 

The garden has a bed of fine potatoes, which were 



* In the Spanish territories they are called disperteros (awakeners,) on 
account of the noise they make when disturbed in the right. A flock of 
ihem in any plantation answers the purpose of an alarm-bell against thieves 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



87 



planted three or four years ago "by Mr. Quarten, from 
Gibraltar. They are suffered to grow and reproduce 
themselves from season to season, none being taken up 
unless when wanted for food. Cabbages and other 
vegetables for the table grow in abundance. 

This farm has the advantage of very fine timber in 
its neighbourhood : and when the improvements, begun 
by the governor, are completed, it will be provided 
with water, brought from a distance of six miles, in 
sufficient quantities to wash the hills, and to work the 
machinery of a sugar-mill. On the estate were em- 
ployed about fifty negroes, and half that number of 
free Indians. The latter ate at their master's expence, 
and earned about sixpence a day ; but they appeared 
far less laborious and handy than the negroes. They 
were clearing grounds and making walks in a wood, 
which when finished will render the place a most 
agreeable summer retreat. 

Among the many marks of kindness with which the 
governor honoured me, I must not omit his repeated 
assurances, that in the event of war between our res- 
pective countries, (which was then talked of,) he would 
not detain me. After remaining here five days, which 
were rendered as agreeable as possible by the polite ci- 
vilities of my host, we set out on our return in the or- 
der in which we came : the governor and his lady in a 
carnage drawn by four mules, his aid-de-camp and 
myself on horseback, and six dragoons in front, the 
guard always allowed to an officer of his rank. We 
arrived at St. Paul's without any material occurrence. 

This city is seldom visited by foreigners. The 
passes to it from the coast are so singularly situated, 
that it is almost impossible to avoid the guards who 
are stationed in them, to inspect all travellers and mer- 
chandize passing into the interior. Soldiers of the 
lowest rank on these stations have a right to examine 
all strangers who present themselves, and to detain 
them and their property, unless they can produce pass- 
ports. I and my friends in our way hither were 

M 



88 



TRAVELS IN THE 



thrice obliged to exhibit our licence from the govern- 
or of Santos, which was attested. Our appearance at 
St. Paul's excited considerable curiosity among all 
descriptions of people, who seemed, by their manner, 
never to have seen Englishmen before. The very 
children testified their astonishment, some by running 
away, others by counting our fingers, and exclaiming, 
that we had die same number as they. Many of the 
good citizens invited us to their houses, and sent for 
their friends to come and look at us. As the dwelling 
we occupied was very large, we were frequently en- 
tertained by crowds of young persons of both sexes, 
who came to the door to see how we ate and drank. — 
It was gratifying to us to perceive that this general 
wonder subsided into a more social feeling; we met 
with civil treatment every where, and were frequently 
invited to dine with the inhabitants. At the public 
parties and balls of the governor we found both novel- 
ty and pleasure ; novelty at being much more liberally 
received than we were in the Spanish setdements ; and 
pleasure at being in much more refined and polished 
company. 

The dress of the ladies abroad, and especially at 
church, consists of a garment of black silk, with a 
long veil of the same material, trimmed with broad 
lace ; in the cooler season black cassimere or baize. — 
In the same veil they almost always appear in the 
streets, though it has been partially superseded by a 
long coat of coarse woollen, edged with velvet, gold 
lace, fustian, or plush, according to the rank of the 
wearer. This coat is used as a general sort of undress, 
at home, in their evening walks, and on a journey ; and 
the ladies, whenever they wear it, appear in round 
hats. The appellation of Paulista is considered by all 
the females here as a great honour ; the Paulistas be- 
ing celebrated throughout all Brazil for their attrac- 
tions, and their dignity of character. At table they 
are extremely abstemious. Their favourite amusement 
is dancing, in which they display much vivacity and 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



89 



grace. At balls and other public festivals they gene- 
rally appear in elegant white dresses, with a profusion 
of gold chains about their necks : their hair tastefully 
disposed and fastened with combs. Their conversa- 
tion, at all times sprightly, seems to derive additional 
life from music. Indeed the whole range of their 
education appears to be confined to superficial accom- 
plishments- They trouble themselves very little with 
domestic concerns, confiding whatever relates to the 
inferior departments of the household to the negro or 
negra cook, and leaving all other matters to the ma- 
nagement of servants. Owing to this indifference, they 
are total strangers to the advantages of that order, neat- 
ness, and propriety, which reign in an English fami- 
ly ; their time at home is mostly occupied in sewing, 
embroidery, and lace-making. Another circumstance 
repugnant to delicacy is, that they have no mantua- 
makers of their own sex ; all articles of female dress 
here are made by tailors. An almost universal debili- 
ty prevails among them, which is partly attributable to 
their abstemious living, but chiefly to want of exer- 
cise, and to the frequent warm -bathings in which they 
indulge. They are extremely attentive to every 
means of improving the delicacy of their persons, per- 
haps to the injury of their health. 

The men in general, especially those of the higher 
rank, officers, and others, dress superbly. In compa- 
ny they are very polite and attentive, and shew every 
disposition to oblige. They are great talkers, and 
prone to conviviality. The lower ranks, compared 
with those of other colonial towns, are in a very ad- 
vanced state of civilization. It were to be wished that 
some reform were instituted in their system of educa- 
tion. The children of slaves are brought up during 
their early days with those of their masters. They 
are play- mates and companions, and thus a familiar 
equality is established be ween them, which has to be 
forcibly abolished when they arrive at that age, at 
which one must command and live at his ease, while 



90 



TRAVELS IN THE 



the other must labour and obey. It has been said, that 
by thus attaching the slave to his master, in early 
youth, they ensure his future fidelity : but the custom 
seems fraught with many disadvantages, and ought at 
least to be so modified as to render the yoke of bon- 
dage less galling by the recollection of former liberty. 

The religious processions here are very splendid, 
grand, and solemn; they have a striking effect, by rea- 
son of the profound veneration and enthusiastic zeal 
manifested by the populace. On particular occasions 
of this kind all the inhabitants of the city attend, and 
the throng is frequently increased by numbers of the 
neighbouring peasantry for several leagues round. — 
The balconies of those houses, which command the 
best views of the spectacle, are crowded with ladies 
in their gala dresses, who consider the day as a kind 
of festival ; the evening is generally concluded by tea 
and card- parties or dances. 

We found very little difficulty in accommodating 
ourselves to the general mode of living at St. Paul's. 
The bread is pretty good, and the butter tolerable, but 
rarely used except with coffee for breakfast, or tea in 
the evening. A more common breakfast is a very plea- 
sant sort of beans, called feijones, boiled or mixed with 
mandioca. Dinner, which is usually served up at noon 
or before, commonly consists of a quantity of greens 
boiled with a little fat pork or beef, a root of the pota- 
toe kind, and a stewed fowl, with excellent sallad, to 
which succeeds a great variety of delicious conserves 
and sweet- meats. Very little wine is taken at meals ; 
the usual beverage is water. On public occasions, or 
when a feast is given to a large party, the table is most 
sumptuously spread ; from thirty to fifty dishes are 
served up at once, by which arrangement a succession 
of courses is obviated. Wine circulates copiously, and 
toasts are given during the repast, which usually occu- 
pies two or three hours, and is succeeded by sweet- 
meatSj the pride of their tables ; after coffee the com- 
pany pass the evening in dancing, music, or cards. 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



91 



I may here observe, that neither in St. Paul's, nor in 
any other place which I visited, did I witness any in- 
stance of that levity in the females of Brazil, which 
some writers allege to be the leading trait in their 
character. I allude to the custom which has been said 
to prevail among them, of throwing flowers from the 
balconies on such of the passers-by as they take a fancy 
to, or of presenting a flower a nosegay to their favour- 
ites, as a mark of partiality. The circumstance which 
seems to have given rise to such an ill-founded conjec- 
ture is this : flowers are here considered an indispens- 
able part of the female head-dress, and when a stranger 
is introduced to a lady, it is nothing more than an act 
of common courtesy for her to take one from her hair 
to present to him. This elegant compliment he is ex- 
pected to return in the course of the visit, by selecting 
a flower from the profuse variety which adorn the gar- 
den, or the balcony, and presenting it to her. 

One singular custom I must not omit to notice, that 
of throwing artificial fruit, such as lemons or oranges, 
made very delicately of wax and filled with perfumed 
water. On the two first days of Lent, which are here 
celebrated with great festivity, persons of both sexes 
amuse themselves by throwing these balls at each 
other ; the lady generally begins the game, the gentle- 
man returns it with such spirit that it seldom ceases 
until several dozens are thrown, and both parties are 
as wet as if they had been drawn through a river. 
Sometimes a lady will dexterously drop one into the 
bosom of a gentleman, which will infallibly oblige him 
to change his linen, as it usually contains three or four 
ounces of cold water. On these days of carnival the 
inhabitants parade the streets in masks, and the diver- 
sion of throwing fruit is practised by persons of all ages. 
It is reckoned improper for men to throw at each other. 
The manufacture of these missiles, at such periods, 
affords no inconsiderable occupation to certain classes of 
the inhabitants. I have been informed that in the 
capital of Brazil many hundreds of people derive a 



92 



TRAVELS IN THE 



temporary subsistence from the sale of them, The 
practice (as I can testify) is very annoying to strangers, 
and not unfrequently engenders quarrels which ter- 
minate seriously. 

During our stay here an unpleasant report was cir- 
culated, that the port of Lisbon was shut against the 
English, and that war was daily expected to be declared 
between the two powers. Had it not been for the kind- 
ness of the governor in offering to permit our departure 
before he should receive orders to the contrary, we 
should have felt ourselves in a very disagreeable pre- 
dicament. But news soon arrived that His Royal 
Highness the Prince Regent had left Portugal with all 
the court, and that they were embarked for the Brazils, 
under the escort of a British squadron, dispatched by 
Sir Sidney Smith. This intelligence was most joyfully 
received by the Brazilians. They considered, indeed, 
that the occupation of Portugal by the French was a 
disaster very likely to ensue, but they consoled them- 
selves with the hope of receiving a Prince, in whose 
praise every tongue was eloquent, and to whose cause 
every heart was loyal. The Brazilian empire was con- 
sidered as established; and the worthy bishop conse- 
crated the auspicious era by ordaining daily prayers in 
the cathedral, to invoke from Divine Providence the 
safe arrival of the Royal Family. News of their having 
touched at Bahia arrived in about ten days, and was 
welcomed by every demonstration of public joy, pro- 
cessions, fire- works, &c. Hoping every day to hear of 
their arrival at Rio de Janeiro, I made all ready for my 
departure, and devoted the few remaining days to a 
second excursion to the gold-mines, and to some fare- 
well visits among my friends in the vicinity of St. 
Paul's. The governor and many of the principal in- 
habitants gave us parting invitations, and by their urba- 
nity rendered the last hours we passed with them at 
once delightful and melancholy. Some of the latter ac- 
companied us two leagues on our way, and on separat- 
ing testified the warmest wishes for our welfare. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



93 



I never recall to mind the civilities I received at this 
city without the most grateful emotions, in which those 
will best sympathize who have known what it is to 
visit a remote city in a strange country, where, accord- 
ing to the narratives of preceding travellers, nothing 
prevailed but barbarism and inhospitality, and where 
they have been agreeably undeceived. It may easily 
be supposed that I found it difficult to reconcile the 
character of the Paulistas, such as I beheld it, with the 
strange accounts of their spurious origin, quoted by 
modern geographers. These accounts, founded on the 
suspicious testimony of the jesuits of Paraguay, and at 
variance with the best Portugueze historians, have been 
of late most ably confuted by an enlightened member 
of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Lisbon.* He 
fully exposes the inconsistencies of Vaissette and 
Charlevoix, in ascribing the origin of St. Paul's to a 
band of refugees, composed of Spaniards, Portugueze, 
Mestizos, Mulattos and others, who fled hither from 
various parts of Brazil, and established a free-booting 
republic ; and he satisfactorily shews that the first set- 
tlers were Indians of Piratininga and Jesuits, and that 
the city from its first foundation never acknowledged 
any other sovereignty than that of Portugal. The 
veracity of this account is further supported by the 
predominant character of the Paulistas, who, far from 
inheriting the obloquy which an ancestry of rogues and 
vagabonds would have entailed upon them, have long 
been famed throughout all Brazil for their probity, 
their industry, and the mildness of their manners. f 



* Fr. Gaspar da Madre de Deos. 

f I may also add their public spirit in resenting injuries done to indivi- 
duals, and in supporting the cause of the oppressed ; a singular instance of 
which I have often heard related. Some seventy years ago one of their go- 
vernors, who was a nobleman, had an intrigue with the daughter of a me- 
chanic. The whole town espoused the cause of the injured female, and 
compelled the governor, at the peril of his life, to marry her, 



94 



TRAVELS IN THE 



CHAP. VI. 



Coasting Voyage from Santos to Zapitiva, and Journey 
thence to Bio de Janeiro. 

WE left St. Paul's at ten in the morning, and 
took the same road to Santos by which we had 
come, there being no other, fit to travel. On the fol- 
lowing day, before noon, we arrived at Cuberton, 
where we were detained by rain, until four in the after- 
noon. About seven we arrived at Santos : and as we 
were provided with a letter of introduction to a judge, 
and another to a merchant, we relied on a kinder wel- 
come than we had met with on our first visit, the more 
so, as we came from St. Paul's. We were, however, 
deceived. The judge received us coldly : and when I 
asked him where the person lived to whom our other 
letter was addressed, he seemed quite rejoiced at the 
opportunity for shewing us out of his house. The 
merchant was as frigid as the judge, and made us a 
paltry excuse. We then repaired to an apothecary, 
from whom we had experienced some acts of attention, 
and who had attended one of our friends, who, having 
left St. Paul's in a bad state of health, had waited here 
three weeks for a passage to Rio de Janeiro, After tell- 
ing him our situation, and stating that the wet weather 
prevented us from passing the night in our canoe, he 
kindly offered us his shop-floor for a lodging, it being 
the only place under cover he had to spare. We com- 
missioned him to offer four dollars to any of his neigh- 
bours who would admit us for the night : but he said 
it would be of no avail, as the people of Santos were 
proverbially notorious for their want of hospitality. The 
great influx of strangers and renegadoes from all nations 
into this and other towns on the coast, had completely 
steeled the hearts of the people against those claims on 
their good- will, which the inhabitants of the interior, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



97 



less frequently imposed upon, are ever ready to acknow- 
ledge and to satisfy. 

Thus disappointed, we resolved not to wait at Santos 
for a ship, but to proceed to Rio de Janeiro, along the 
coast, in a canoe. Having hired one we embarked, and 
after rowing all night in a strait between the continent 
and the island of St. Omar, which forms one of the 
passages to Santos from sea, we arrived by sun- rise at 
Bertioga, situated at the north end of that island. It is 
a village, consisting of some tolerably good buildings., 
erected for the convenience of the Captain Mor and his 
attendants, who superintend a fishing establishment 
here, similar to that near St. Catherine's, and belong- 
ing to the same company, but very much inferior in 
point of extent and capacity At both places the most 
expert of the negroes are employed in dressing whale - 
bone, which is a considerable article of commerce, 
though smaller and less valuable than that of the Green- 
land whale. Along the coast which we passed, are 
several fine bays, where, in the best times of the fishery, 
large quantities of whales were annually caught. The 
buildings for boiling the blubber and storing the oil 
were conveniently situated. 

The fine harbour of Bertioga is well sheltered from 
all winds : and the town itself, being situated at the 
foot of a hill, is protected from the inclemencies of the 
weather, and is at times inconveniently warm. The 
basis of the hill is primitive granite, composed of 
hornblende, feld-spar, quartz, and mica. Fine springs 
of water, bursting from various parts, give variety to the 
scenery, and an agreeable freshness to the air. Though 
the place bore the appearance of poverty, we observed 
no signs of want. The sea affords great plenty and 
variety of eatable fish, and the soil produces pulse, of 
various sorts, and rice, quantities of which we saw 
loading in boats for Santos. The people with whom 
we had to treat used us civilly, and seemed anxious to 
anticipate and to gratify all our requests. As the Cap- 
tain Mor was ill, he could not render us any assistance 
in procuring a passage for St. Sebastian ; we were 

N 



98 



TRAVELS IN THE 



therefore obliged to hire the canoe to go forward. 

A strong current setting in- shore detained us until 
midnight. We then took advantage of a calm which 
succeeded, and rowed away for a headland to the east- 
ward, near which we arrived about sun-rise, after a 
most laborious passage. The shore was quite solitary, 
with the exception of two very miserable huts, at which 
we could procure no better breakfast than muscles. 
The face of the country is low and sandy, covered with 
underwood and groups of trees, and watered by rivulets 
from a range of mountains apparently about two leagues 
distant. 

A breeze springing up about mid-day, we again 
embarked ; but after contending with both elements 
for four hours, we were obliged again to take to our 
oars, in order to reach Porto Unya before sun-set, 
which, with considerable exertion, we effected. At this 
place we observed a large plantation, be longing to a reli- 
gious society at Santos, who hence derive a great part of 
their maintenance. After waiting till two in the morning 
for a change either of wind or current, we got out of port 
and proceeded on our voyage to Rio de Janeiro. We 
rowed against the wind till day-light, and then found 
ourselves near a bluff headland with steep rocks, form- 
ing a good harbour for boats, called Toque Toque, 
where we arrived about nine o'clock, having passed 
several conical islands which are not laid down in any 
chart that I have hitherto seen. Off the point of Toque 
Toque, extends the fine island of St. Sebastian. The 
strait between it and the main affords an excellent 
passage, and a good harbour for ships of war. 

The wind still blowing fresh against us, we rested 
awhile, and were amused by watching some fishermen 
haul their nets ashore with large draughts of cavelhos 
in them. These fish weigh from fifteen to twenty 
pounds each, and are caught in great numbers along 
this coast. 

Passing point Toque Toque at noon, we entered the 
strait of St. Sebastian. Its width is about three 
leagues, the land on both sides is bold and steep, and 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



99 



being well cultivated has a very grand and rich ap- 
pearance. The varied foliage of the trees, and the dif- 
ferent shades of verdure in the enclosures, combined 
with the romantic situations of the houses dispersed 
among them, presented a view worthy the ablest pencil. 
We had full leisure to enjoy it, for the wind being still 
adverse, our progress depended on the toil of our 
wearied boatmen. Several vessels, going the contrary 
way, passed us at full sail, the crews of which added to 
our chagrin by ironically wishing us a pleasant voyage, 
At four in the afternoon we arrived at the town of St. 
Sebastian, situated on a low tract of ground about three 
hundred yards from the beach. The inhabitants, 
amounting to two or three thousand, are an indigent 
and not very industrious people ; they subsist chiefly on 
fish, which was the only food we could procure during 
the three days we staid among them. There are some 
inconsiderable plantations in the neighbourhood, where 
a little indigo is made, and some tolerably good tobacco 
is grown. This town is noted (and formerly was 
much more so) for its very large canoes scooped out 
of the solid timber ; some of them I have seen of 
almost incredible dimensions, The civil government 
is entrusted to a Captain Mor, whose authority is sup- 
ported by a garrison of ten or fifteen soldiers under the 
command of an ensign. At the house of the latter we 
took up our abode, while waiting for an opportunity to 
hire a large canoe to carry us to Zapitiva, near Rio de 
Janeiro. The people with whom we had to bargain, 
used every petty means to thwart and impose upon us : 
and our host shewed no disposition to protect us 
against their chicanery, so that we encountered many 
vexatious delays ere we could accomplish our purpose. 

This place is by no means a desirable, or indeed, a 
tolerable residence for a stranger. It is exposed to all 
the inconveniences peculiar to low and sandy situations. 
The hot unwholesome weather, seldom refreshed by a 
breeze, tends to multiply the immense swarms of mos- 
quitos, which constitute one of the plagues of the 
Torrid Zone. The neighbouring island, on the con- 



98 



TRAVELS IN THE 



therefore obliged to hire the canoe to go forward. 

A strong current setting in- shore detained us until 
midnight. We then took advantage of a calm which 
succeeded, and rowed away for a headland to the east- 
ward, near which we arrived about sun-rise, after a 
most laborious passage. The shore was quite solitary, 
with the exception of two very miserable huts, at which 
we could procure no better breakfast than muscles. 
The face of the country is low and sandy, covered with 
underwood and groups of trees, and watered by rivulets 
from a range of mountains apparently about two leagues 
distant. 

A breeze springing up about mid-day, we again 
embarked ; but after contending with both elements 
for four hours, we were obliged again to take to our 
oars, in order to reach Porto Unya before sun-set, 
which, with considerable exertion, we effected. At this 
place we observed a large plantation, belonging to a reli- 
gious society at Santos, who hence derive a great part of 
their maintenance. After waiting till two in the morning 
for a change either of wind or current, we got out of port 
and proceeded on our voyage to Rio de Janeiro. We 
rowed against the wind till day-light, and then found 
ourselves near a bluff headland with steep rocks, form- 
ing a good harbour for boats, called Toque Toque, 
where we arrived about nine o'clock, having passed 
several conical islands which are not laid down in any 
chart that I have hitherto seen. Off the point of Toque 
Toque, extends the fine island of St. Sebastian. The 
strait between it and the main affords an excellent 
passage, and a good harbour for ships of war. 

The wind still blowing fresh against us, we rested 
awhile, and were amused by watching some fishermen 
haul their nets ashore with large draughts of caveihos 
in them. These fish weigh from fifteen to twenty 
pounds each, and are caught in great numbers along 
this coast. 

Passing point Toque Toque at noon, we entered the 
strait of St. Sebastian. Its width is about three 
leagues, the land on both sides is bold and steep, and 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



99 



being well cultivated has a very grand and rich ap- 
pearance. The varied foliage of the trees, and the dif- 
ferent shades of verdure in the enclosures, combined 
with the romantic situations of the houses dispersed 
among them, presented a view worthy the ablest pencil 
We had full leisure 10 enjoy it, for the wind being still 
adverse, our progress depended on the toil of our 
wearied boatmen. Several vessels, going the contrary 
way, passed us at full sail, the crews of which added to 
our chagrin by ironically wishing us a pleasant voyage, 
At four in the afternoon we arrived at the town of St. 
Sebastian, situated on a low tract of ground about three 
hundred yards from the beach. The inhabitants, 
amounting to two or three thousand, are an indigent 
and not very industrious people ; they subsist chiefly on 
fish, which was the only food we could procure during 
the three days we staid among them. There are some 
inconsiderable plantations in the neighbourhood, where 
a little indigo is made, and some tolerably good tobacco 
is grown. This town is noted (and formerly was 
much more so) for its very large canoes scooped out 
of the solid timber ; some of them I have seen of 
almost incredible dimensions. The civil government 
is entrusted to a Captain Mor, whose authority is sup- 
ported by a garrison of ten or fifteen soldiers under the 
command of an ensign. At the house of the latter we 
took up our abode, while waiting for an opportunity to 
hire a large canoe to carry us to Zapitiva, near Rio de 
Janeiro. The people with whom we had to bargain, 
used every petty means to thwart and impose upon us : 
and our host shewed no disposition to protect us 
against their chicanery, so that we encountered many 
vexatious delays ere we could accomplish our purpose. 

This place is by no means a desirable, or indeed, a 
tolerable residence for a stranger. It is exposed to all 
the inconveniences peculiar to low and sandy situations. 
The hot unwholesome weather, seldom refreshed by a 
breeze, tends to multiply the immense swarms of mos- 
quitos, which constitute one of the plagues of the 
Torrid Zone, The neighbouring island, on the con- 



100 



TRAVELS IN THE 



trary, being more elevated, has the advantage of a freer 
air, and is therefore less annoyed by these troublesome 
insects. It has the reputation of producing the best 
sugar, rum, and pulse, as well as the finest cattle, in all 
Brazil : and these advantages, joined to its convenient 
situation, must render a plantation upon it highly 
valuable. In common with the opposite shore, and the 
rocks observable in various parts of the straits, it ap- 
pears to be composed of the same primitive granite I 
have before described- Near the town of St. Sebas- 
tian's I found some large pieces of basalt, which, when 
struck, emitted a very clear sound. I saw also some 
fragments of lirne-stone, but these probably were part 
of some vessel's ballast, which had been thrown over- 
board in the bay, and washed ashore. 

Having at length hired a canoe, we embarked for a 
village about five miles distant, called Bayro, where we 
arrived safe, and stayed all night at the house of a fisher- 
man, who undertook the charge of our navigation until 
Wf should arrive at Zapitiva. Bayro is a pretty but 
poor village, built near the beach, and is chiefly noted 
as being the place where most of the earthen- ware used 
at Ri<> de Janeiro is made. The clay for this purpose 
appears to be a decomposition of feld-spar. Here is a 
large convent, well built, and finely situated. 

About nine in the morning, we embarked in our 
canoe, which was forty feet long, covered with an awn- 
ing and rowed by six men. In the afternoon we arriv- 
ed at Porcos, a fine, bold, conical island, with good an- 
chorage, but no port. Its coasts abound with excellent 
fish. H^ re was stationed a guard of soldiers to prevent 
contraband trade, and to give information respecting it: 
the officer, an ensign, made us welcome to all he had, 
and treated us with great kindness during our short 
stay. Leaving this place at two in the morning, we 
rowed through an archipelago of islets and arrived at 
Porto Negro, within four leagues of Isle Grande, and 
the morning following reached a bay in that island. 
The land is in general very high and irregular ; in the 
interior it is well wooded, and contains some excellent 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



101 



iron ore which is very little known. Its coasts are but 
partially inhabited. The strait which separates it from 
the main land is an excellent harbour in all its extent 3 
and was the rendezvous of some English privateers 
during our war with Spain. The country in its vici- 
nity is well clothed with large timber, and appears very 
fruitful ; but is thinly peopled by a set of men, whose 
manners and pursuits denote them to be outcasts from 
society. In the evening we entered a fine bay, and 
procured some refreshment at a house on the beach, 
where we intended to pass the night : but a plan had 
been laid to rob us : and we were obliged, on disco- 
vering it, tore-imbark before day-break, much rejoiced 
at having narrowly escaped the loss of our property 
and our lives. Pursuing our course among the many 
islands, with which this part of the coast is studded s 
we passed the beautiful and fertile island of Madeira, 
and, at noon, crossed two wide bays. A favourable 
breeze now, for the first time, sprung up, which lasted 
until we arrived at Zapitiva, and here ended our ro- 
mantic canoe-voyage. 

1 would strongly recommend to every traveller, pur- 
suing a similar course, the expediency of providing 
himself with a soldier commissioned to attend him, 
and to protect his person and property against the evil- 
minded persons, who prowl about the coast in search 
of plunder, and greedily seek every opportunity of 
securing, by fraud or force, the property of defenceless 
passengers. We had more than once occasion to rue 
the neglect of this precaution. 

At Zapitiva, we met with excellent accommoda- 
tions. The owner of the house at which we put up, 
furnished us with a plentiful supper of fish, fowls, 
coffee, and excellent sweet-meats, which we relished 
the more from having for eight days subsisted wholly 
on fish. Our lodgings were tolerably comfortable, and 
were rendered more so by the earnestness with which 
every one in the family strove to please us. At sun- 
rise next morning, after diverting myself with shooting 
a few horned plovers on the beach, I took a survey of 



102 



TRAVELS IN THE 



the romantic scenery around. Here are a few poor 
houses, and some plantations of indigo, sugar, and 
pulse. The beach is lined with fine aloes, and presents 
an interesting view of several islets in front of the bay, 
the most conspicuous of which is Madeira, before- 
mentioned. In another direction is seen that of Isle 
Grande. Four leagues distant from Zapitiva is Santa 
Cruz, formerly the property of the Jesuits, and now 
the royai farm of the Prince Regent of Portugal, of 
which I shall have occasion, in the sequel, to speak 
more at large. 

After settling with our host, we hired mules to 
carry us to Rio de Janeiro, distant forty miles. Owing 
to the weight of our baggage, we travelled but slowly : 
this, however, we did not regret, as the fatigues of our 
coasting- voyage rendered us rather averse to violent 
exertion. Proceeding through a low sandy country, 
covered with wood, for about three leagues, we skirted 
the boundary of the Prince's farm, which encloses 
some of the finest and most fertile plains in South 
America, and gives employment to upward of fifteen 
hundred negroes. We soon afterwards reached the 
main road, which in general is very good, but the lands 
about it are little cleared, and seem almost destitute of 
cultivators. In the course of twenty miles, we saw 
only one house that deserved the name of a plantation ; 
the only dwellings by the way-side were miserable 
huts and dram-shops, exhibiting deplorable symptoms 
of sloth and poverty Before sun-set we halted at a 
kind of inn, where our mules were turned out to grass, 
and a supper was provided for us of fowls, milk, and 
coffee. The house, though pleasantly situated on an 
eminence among orange-groves and coffee-trees, was 
miserably deficient in those conveniences which its 
exterior had announced. The room where we supped 
was lighted by a small poor lamp, (there being no 
candles,) and the floor was so uneven, that our table 
stood on only three of its four legs. Tired with this 
cheerless glooni, we ordered our beds to be unpacked, 
and retired to rest. The want of candle-light is a 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



103 



serious inconvenience to travellers in all parts of Brazil, 
and no one ought to undertake a journey without an 
ample provision of candles, with the necessary imple- 
ments for using them. Snuffers are articles of luxury, 
very rarely to be met with, except as curiosities. I 
need not add that beds are an equally indispensable 
part of a traveller's equipage. 

We resumed our journey at an early hour next day, 
along an excellent road in the middle of a valley formed 
by lofty mountains. After travelling about three 
miles, we came to a house, called the Panedera (bake- 
house,) which is reckoned half way between Zapitiva 
and the capital. From this place the road gradually 
becomes more enlivened by dwellings and plantations, 
(but many of the former are wretched hovels erected 
for the sale of bacon, corn, liquors, &c. } and by numbers 
of countrymen bringing produce from every part of 
the south-west, even from the far districts of Goyazes, 
Coritiva, Cuyaba, St. Paul's, and Mato Grosso. It is 
not uncommon to see eight hundred or a thousand 
mules passing and repassing in the course of a day, be- 
sides numerous droves of fine cattle for the use of the 
city. Our heavy-laden and weary mules travelled so 
slowly, that we did not come within sight of Rio de 
Janeiro, until about three in the afternoon. On reaching 
the eminence, which commanded the first prospect of 
this fine city, our joyful sensations banished every 
feeling of fatigue. One of the party, who had advanced 
a few paces, rode back as fast as his mule could go, 
exclaiming, " the English flag." We hastened onward, 
and beheld one of the most welcome sights that ever 
greeted the eyes of a traveller, with a remembrance of 
his native country — a squadron of our men of war at 
anchor in the bay, which had recently escorted the 
court of Portugal to an asylum in their own dominions, 
beyond the reach of their foes. We no longer felt 
uneasy at the thought of entering a large city inhabited 
by strangers ; we knew that the name of Englishman 
would be a passport among them, and we anticipated 
something of that delight which is connected with the 



104 



TRAVELS IN THE 



near prospect of home, I, who had for eighteen 
months lingered in exile, and beheld each setting sun 
close another day of almost hopeless captivity, enjoyed 
this evening scene with indescribable emotion ; it was 
here, that for the first time since my landing in South 
America, I had just reason to promise myself a night's 
repose in freedom, safety, and peace. 

We soon reached the suburbs, which are large and 
pleasant, being agreeably interspersed with gardens 
and pleasure grounds. About five o'clock we halted 
in the vicinity of Campo St Anna, at an inn, or rather 
hostelry for cattle, whence, having secured our baggage 
in the miserable stall allotted to us, we sallied forth in 
search of the friends who left us at St. Catherine's. 
Accustomed, as we long had been, to rude and solitary- 
scenes, we were forcibly struck with the opulence of this 
city, displayed in its magnificent buildings and regular 
streets. While engaged in anxious enquiries after our 
friends, we accidentally met with one of them, who, with 
unspeakable joy, conducted us to the rest, and the 
evening was passed most agreeably in relating over 
several encounters, and in asking and answering innu- 
merable questions. Returning to our inn at midnight 
we remained with our luggage until morning, when we 
carted it up to the house of our friends in Rua Pis- 
cadores. 

During our journey from Zapitiva to Rio Janeiro, we 
had not much leisure for geological observation. The 
stratum, in the course of the route, is composed of 
primitive granite, like that before described. In some 
parts we observed large stones, approximating to basalt, 
and in other parts we found fine clay. Nearer to the ca- 
pital, and particularly in the environs of St. Cristoval, 
the Prince's country -palace, the stratum has a gneiss- 
like appearance, and produces some fine specimens of 
feld-spar. In the precincts of the city, there is an exten- 
sive flat, covered with mangroves, and over-flowed by the 
tide At the foot of the mountains which bound itare quar- 
ries of granite, large blocks of which are raised for build- 
ing purposes, as well as for paving the streets of the city. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



105 



CHAP. VII. 



Description of Rio de Janeiro. — Trade. — State of So- 
ciety. — Visit to the Prince Regent's Farm at Santa 
Cruz. 

RIO DE JANEIRO has been so often described by 
former travellers, that, were I to confine myself to 
the supply of what they have omitted, or to the correc- 
tion of their mis-statements, my task would be speedily 
performed : but, as I have uniformly chosen to write 
freely from my own observations rather than follow the 
track of others, I shall trespass on the reader with a 
more detailed account than he might perhaps require. 
It will, however, be recollected that the period at which 
I visited this capital being a political aera in the annals 
of Brazil, is sufficiently interesting to excuse, if not to 
justify me in the attempt to improve upon descriptions 
of an earlier date, though at the risk of a little repetition. 

The finest view of the city is from the harbour, 
whence its lofty eminences crowned with convents, and 
the hills in its environs, interspersed with villas and gar- 
dens, have a rich and magnificent appearance. The 
royal palace skirts the beach, and is seen to great advan- 
tage from the principal landing-place, which is within 
sixty yards of its doors. This palace, though small, 
is the residence of the Prince Regent and the royal 
family : the mint and the royal chapel form parts of the 
structure. Parallel with the beach runs the main street, 
consisting of noble buildings, called Rua de Dereito, 
from which the minor streets branch off at right angles, 
and are intersected by others at regular distances. 

Some idea of the extent of the city may be formed 
from the population, which, including the negroes, (its 

O 



106 



TRAVELS IN THE 



most numerous portion,) is estimated at a hundred thou- 
sand souls : the dwellings are generally of one story only. 

The numerous convents and churches are well built, 
and rather handsome ; the cathedral, now nearly finished, 
is in a superior style of architecture. The streets were 
formerly incommoded by latticed balconies, which had 
a very heavy appearance, and obstructed the circulation 
of the air, but they have been taken away by order of 
Government. The greatest nuisances now remaining 
are those which arise from the custom of persons of all 
ranks on horseback to ride on the foot-paths, and from 
the preposterous hanging of shop and house doors, 
which all open outward into the street, to the great 
annoyance of foot-passengers : I may also add the fre- 
quent pools of stagnant water which, from the lowness 
of the site, cannot without much labour be drained 
away, and which, through the heat of the weather, 
emit the most putrid exhalations. Water for the use of 
the city flows from the hills through aqueducts, and is 
distributed to several fountains in various public places. 
It is to be regretted that there are not more of these for 
the supply of the inhabitants, numbers of whom live a 
mile distant from any of them, and are obliged to 
employ persons continually in carrying water: many of 
the poorer classes earn a living by selling it. The foun- 
tains in dry weather are frequently so crowded, that the 
carriers have to wait for hours before they can be sup- 
plied. The water is good, and, when kept in large 
jars, drinks cool and pleasant. The inns and public 
houses are almost destitute of accommodations, and so 
very uncomfortable that a stranger will not reside in 
them if he can find a friend to take him in. House- 
rent in general is as high as in London, owing, it should 
seem, to the dearness of building materials and the high 
price of masonry. Timber in particular is unaccounta- 
bly scarce, considering the quantity which grows in 
almost every part of Brazil ; even fire- wood is dear. 
Provisions are in general plentiful, but not very choice 
in quality : the beef is very indifferent, and indeed bad ; 
the pork is better ; and, if the feeding were properly 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



107 



attended to, might be rendered fine ; mutton is almost 
unknown, as the natives will not eat it.* The poultry 
of every description are excellent, but they are very 
dear. Pulse and vegetables of all kinds are very abun- 
dant, and the fish-market is not ill supplied. Turtles 
are frequently caught, as well as a great variety of fish ; 
here are abundance of very fine large prawns. The 
oysters and muscles, though not equal to ours, are very 
tolerable. 

Owing to its low situation, and the general filthiness 
of its streets, Rio de Janeiro cannot be called healthful. 
Improvements are now making which will in part 
remedy these evils ; but other causes tend to increase 
the insalubrity of the air, and to spread contagious dis- 
tempers, the principal of which are the large importations 
of negroes from Africa, who commonly land in a sickly 
state, the consequence of close confinement during a hot 
voyage. It is much to be regretted that the city was 
not originally built on the plan of those in the Nether- 
lands, with canals for brigs and small vessels, which 
might then have been unloaded at the doors of the 
warehouses : such an improvement would have also 
greatly tended to the cleanliness and salubrity of the 
town. 

The police is by no means ill regulated ; and, from 
the attention which has been paid to it since the arrival 
of the court, there is every hope that it will be placed 
on a footing equally respectable with that of any Euro- 
pean capital. The prisons are loathsome, and require 
the benevolent genius of a Howard to reform them alto- 
gether. One great step in favour of humanity has been 
gained : the inquisition has been abolished, and with it 
the spirit of persecution, so that no one can now be 
offended for his religious tenets, unless he openly insult 
the established religion. 



* By way of experiment, I had some killed, and it was acknowledged by 
those who tasted it to be excellent; but some strange prejudice or other de- 
ters the inhabitants from introducing it at their tables. 



108 



TRAVELS IN THE 



This city is the chief mart of Brazil, and especially 
of the provinces of Minas Geraes, St. Paul's, Goyazes, 
Cuyaba and Corritiva. The mining districts, being 
most populous, require the greatest proportion of con- 
sumable goods, and in return send the most valuable 
articles of commerce : hence innumerable troops of 
mules are continually travelling to and from those dis- 
tricts ; their common burden is about three cwt. each, 
which they carry to the almost incredible distance of 
1500 or 2000 miles. Their homeward freight consists 
chiefly of salt for the consumption of the cattle, and 
iron for the working of the mines. 

No colonial port in the world is so well situated for 
general commerce as Rio de Janeiro. It enjoys, beyond 
any other, an equal convenience of intercourse with 
Europe, America, Africa, the East Indies, and the 
South Sea islands ; and seems formed by nature as a 
grand link to connect the trade of those great portions 
of the globe. Commanding also, as the capital of a 
rich and extensive territory, resources of immense 
amount and value, it seemed to require only the pre- 
sence of an efficient government to give it political im- 
portance : and this advantage it has now gained by 
becoming the chosen residence of the court of Portugal. 
The benefits resulting from this great event had but 
just begun to display themselves at the period to which 
this narrative refers : and the commercial relations of 
Rio de Janeiro, though considerably augmented, were 
still but in their germ. I shall proceed to state them 
according to the best information I was then able to 
procure. 

The imports hither from the River Plate, and from 
Rio Grande de St. Pedro, consist in immense quantities 
of dried beef, tallow, hides, and grain. Those from the 
United States are chiefly salt provisions, flour, house- 
hold furniture, pitch, and tar. The North Americans 
generally send cargoes of these articles on specula- 
tion : and, as the market for them is fluctuating and 
not to be depended on, they frequently take them to 
other ports. Their provisions are commonly sent to 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



109 



the Cape of Good Hope. They bring European mer- 
chandize, which they exchange for specie wherewith to 
trade to China, and also take in necessaries on their 
voyages to the South Seas. 

From the western coast of Africa, Rio de Janeiro 
imports wax, oil, sulphur, and some woods. The negro 
trade has been restricted to the kingdom of Angola by 
a decree of the Prince Regent, who has declared his in- 
tention of abolishing it altogether as soon as possible. 

The trade to Mozambique is trivial ; but, since the 
capture of the Isle of France by the British has cleared 
that coast from French privateers, it may be expected 
to increase. It affords many valuable products, such as 
gold-dust, brought from the interior, ivory, of which 
the Prince monopolizes the largest sort, ebony and 
other fine woods, drugs, oil, excellent columbo-root, 
and an abundance of various gums, particularly of the 
gum meni. The whale-fisheries on the coast have 
proved a source of riches to many speculators. 

The intercourse of this port with India, in common 
with Mozambique, has been much annoyed by the pri- 
vateers of the Isle of France, and will therefore, in all 
probability, flourish equally by their suppression. A 
voyage thither and back is performed with great expe- 
dition : one large ship of eight hundred tons sailed, 
loaded at Surat, and returned within the space of seven 
months. A voyage to China seldom occupies a longer 
period. The trade thither will no doubt be revived : 
and it is not improbable that this port may at no great 
distance of time become an entrepot for India goods 
destined for Europe. 

Rio de Janeiro is conveniently situated for supplying 
a great variety of necessaries to the Cape of Good Hope 
and to New South Wales. Indeed, of late years, En- 
glish manufactures have been sold here so cheap that it 
has been found more advantageous to ship them hence 
for those colonies than from home. Ships going on the 
South Sea whale-fishery touch here, and lay in large 
stocks of spiritous liquors, wine, sugar, coffee, tobacco, 
soap, and live stock. 



110 



TRAVELS IN THE 



The imports from the mother- country consist chiefly 
in wine and oil. From Sweden some iron is occasion- 
ally brought : it is preferred to English iron for mules' 
shoes, on account of its greater ductility. 

The exports consist principally of cotton, sugar, 
rum, ship-timber, various fine cabinet- woods, hides, 
tallow, indigo, and coarse cotton cloths, in immense 
quantities, for clothing the Peons in the provinces of 
the River Plate. Among the more precious articles of 
export may be enumerated gold, diamonds, topazes of 
various colours, amethysts, tourmalines, (that are fre- 
quently sold for emeralds,) chrysoberyls, aqua-marinas, 
and wrought jewelry. 

This market has been greatly overstocked with En- 
glish manufactures, in consequence of the sanguine 
speculations to which our merchants were incited by 
the late emigration. The supply exceeded the demand 
in a tenfold degree, and the excess gave rise to auctions 
where goods were sold at unprecedentedly reduced 
prices. In proportion as English merchandize lowered, 
that of Brazil rose in value : and so great was the de- 
mand for it, owing to the numerous vessels waiting for 
cargoes, that within a year after the arrival of the Prince 
Regent, every article of produce was doubled. Gold 
quickly disappeared ; for the monied Portugueze, 
perceiving the avidity and impolitic eagerness with 
which the English forced their goods upon them, cau- 
tiously withheld their specie, and, by the alternative of 
barter, got rid of their own produce at a very high 
price, and obtained our merchandize almost at their 
own valuation. The losing party in this unequal traffic, 
though they had chiefly to blame their own imprudence 
in engaging in it, were loud in their complaints and 
remonstrances against the Portugueze merchants. A 
treaty of commerce was concluded, by which the duties 
on English, and indeed all foreign merchandize, which 
had been 25 per cent., were reduced to 15 per cent, ad 
valorem. A judge was appointed to attend solely to 
the concerns of the English, and to see justice done 
them : he was intitled the Judge Conservador of the 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



111 



English nation. The person who now fills this im- 
portant office is one of the most enlightened and upright 
of men. His official conduct, of which I have seen 
much, has secured him the respect of all parties, and 
has done credit to the choice of the Prince Regent, con- 
firmed by the approval of His Excellency Lord Strang- 
ford. Further to cultivate and extend the interests of 
commerce, His Royal Highness has established a Board 
of Trade, in which are some experienced and intelligent 
men, to whose consideration every particular case, and 
every new regulation, is referred. One of the members 
of this Board, Dr. Lisboa, has greatly distinguished 
himself by his zeal for the English nation, displayed in 
various publications on commerce, particularly in one 
dated May 1810, which contains a fund of solid argu- 
ment on the principles laid down and acknowledged by 
our most celebrated statesmen and political writers. It 
is to be hoped that the diffusion of views so liberal, 
under the auspices of ministers, will banish that narrow- 
minded jealousy with which certain opulent individuals 
of the Brazilian capital regard the English merchants, 
whom they stigmatize as intruders ; and that the general 
interests of commerce in this thriving colony will gain, 
through fair competition, what they have heretofore lost 
through overstocked markets. 

The business of the custom-house, although still 
shackled with many troublesome and tedious regulations, 
especially with regard to small articles, has been consi- 
derably simplified : and, in all cases where a stranger finds 
himself at a loss how to proceed, he is sure to have every 
difficulty explained, and every obstacle removed, by ap- 
pealing to the judge who presides over this department 
The liberality and disinterestedness of this excellent 
officer are the more generally felt and acknowledged, 
from the inconveniences with which his situation might 
enable him to embarrass the trade, if he were inclined to 
a more rigorous execution of the laws. 

In mentioning the advantages which have resulted to 
the English merchants from the liberality of the persons 
in office, I ought not to omit stating that much has been 



112 



TRAVELS IN THE 



effected through the exertions of the British minister, who, 
while pursuing that conciliatory and moderate line of con- 
duct, which gained him the esteem of the Prince Regent, 
ever firmly upheld the interests of his nation, and in all 
deliberations concerning them reserved to himself the 
casting vote. With respect to individuals, it is true that 
he declined to be troubled on every trivial occasion, and 
scrupulously discountenanced every covert attempt at 
monopoly or peculation, from whatever quarter it came : 
but in great questions he acted with promptitude and 
decision ; nor was he averse to use his influence in favour 
of a private individual, when a candid and manly appeal 
was made to him. Considering the peculiar circumstan- 
ces attending his embassy, and also the jarring interests 
he had to reconcile, Lord Strangford has conducted him- 
self in a way highly honourable to his talents and charac- 
ter ; and in continuing to merit the confidence of his own 
court, has secured that of the Prince Regent and all his 
ministers. The treaty of commerce lately concluded is 
a proof of the harmony which subsists between them, 
and may be regarded on our part as the most advanta- 
geous that, in the existing posture of affairs, could have 
been procured. 

The harbour is easy of entrance and egress, generally 
speaking, at all times, as there is a daily alternation of 
land and sea breeze, the former blowing until about 
noon, and the latter from that hour until sun- set. Ships 
find here every conveniency for repairing, heaving down, 
&c, but it is to be hoped that docks will soon be formed, 
which will render the latter troublesome and dangerous 
operation unnecessary. There is an anchorage-duty paid ? 
which forms an item in the bill of port-charges. 

Of the state of society in Rio de Janeiro, what I 
have to observe differs little from the description of the 
Paulistas already given. The same habits and manners 
prevail at both places, allowing for some slight variation, 
caused by the greater influx of strangers to the capital. 
The Portugueze are in general rather punctilious and 
reserved in admitting a foreigner to their family parties; 
but having once received him, they are open and hospi- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



113 



table. The ladies are affable and courteous to stran- 
gers, extremely fond of dress, but less proud than 
those of other nations. In their mixed assem- 
blies the utmost gaiety prevails, and is seasoned 
by that finished politeness for which the Portuguese 
are generally distinguished. The conversation of the 
best-bred men, however, is more lively than instruc- 
tive ; for education is here at a low ebb, and compre- 
hends a very limited course of literature and science. 
It is proper to add that, since the arrival of the court, 
measures have been adopted for effecting a thorough 
reform in the seminaries, and other institutions for 
public instruction ; and that the Prince Regent, in his 
solicitude for the good of his subjects, has zealously 
patronised every attempt to diffuse among them a 
taste for useful knowledge. Under his auspices, the 
college of St. Joaquim has undergone considerable 
improvement ; a lectureship on chemistry has been in- 
stituted, to which our countryman, Dr. Gardner, has 
been nominated by His Royal Highness ; and it is to 
be hoped that from this appointment may be dated the 
introduction of experimental philosophy in that estab- 
lishment. 

Resuming my narrative, I am bound in gratitude to 
state that the reception I met with here exceeded my 
most sanguine hopes, and far more so any individual 
pretensions on which I could ground them, I 
must attribute it to the letter of introduction to the 
Viceroy, with which the Portuguese ambassador in 
London honoured me on my departure thence, and 
which I presented to the ambassador's noble rela- 
tive, the Conde de Linhares, minister for foreign af- 
fairs. This distinguished statesman shewed me every 
attention, and granted me every privilege I could ask ; 
so that, through his kind condescension, all went well 
with me. I may state this without incurring the im- 
putation of vanity, since it is only one among the nu- 
merous proofs he has given to serve the English by 
every means in his power. 

A few weeks after mv arrival, I solicited permis- 
' P 



114 



TRAVELS IN THE 



sion of His Excellency the Conde de Linhares to 
work an iron mine at Guaraceaba, representing at the 
same time the immense advantages which might ac- 
crue to the state from such an experiment, by opening 
its own resources for the supply of that useful metal. 
He in pan assented to the proposal ; but expressed a 
wish that 1 should previously devote a few days to an 
inspection of the Prince's farm at Santa Cruz, and on 
my return make a report of the state in which I found 
it. While preparing for my journey, it was intimated 
to me as the Prince's particular desire, that 1 should 
endeavour to establish a dairy on the principle of those 
in England, and direct the people in the management 
of it, to which I readily assented. Being provided 
with horses and a soldier to attend me, I set out on the 
journey, accompanied by a gentleman named Parois- 
sien, whose amiable disposition and scientific pursuits 
n ndered him a very useful companion. After about 
fifty miles hard riding we arrived at the farm about six 
in the evening much fatigued. The accommodations we 
met with, fully explained to me the motive of His Royal 
H ighness's minister in enquiring into the state of his do- 
main. Having presented my official letters, I was 
obliged to wait until ten o'clock before the slightest 
refreshment could be procured. Not a dish of coffee 
was to be had ; the only fare set before us was some 
lean beef half-boiied, certainly the worst I had ever 
tasted in Brazil, The mulatto who attended us en- 
gaged to have breakfast ready by seven next morning ; 
we were in readiness at the hour, and though told it 
was coming immediately, we waited three hours ; when 
just as we were ordering out the horses to Rio to avoid 
being famished, the repast was announced, with an 
excuse that it could not come sooner, because no 
milk could be procured. 

I then took a survey of the establishment and rode 
over tiie grounds. The house, I was informed, was 
once a convent of Jesuits, who possessed also the ex- 
tensive tract of land attached to it, which they managed 
much better than their successors, if we may judge by 



INTERIOR OF ERAZILS. 



115 



the remains of their undertakings. The ediSce is 
neither large nor grand : it is built in a quadrangular 
form, with an open court in the centre, and galleries 
inside to the first and second floors. The apartments 
are thirty-six in number, very small, having been 
adapted to the use of the brotherhood, and since their 
departure only in a slight degree altered and decorated 
for the reception of the Royal Family, as their summer 
residence. In front of the house, to the southward, 
extends one of the finest plains in the world, two leagues 
square, watered by two rivers navigable for small craft, 
and bounded by fine bold rocky scenery, embellished 
in many parts with noble forest trees. This plain is 
clothed with richest pasture, and supports from seven 
to eight thousand head of cattle. A considerable part 
of it lies low, and abounds with bogs which might 
easily be laid dry and rendered cultivable by proper 
drainage. The park occupies in its entire extent up- 
wards of one hundred square miles, a territory almost 
as large as some of the late principalities of Italy, and 
capable, by its proximity and connection with the 
capital both by land and water, of being rendered one 
of the most productive and populous in Brazil. Under 
the present system of management it is in a progressive 
state of deterioration ; two small corners, the best of the 
land, one about half a league square, and the other 
more than a league square, have been already, through 
disingenuous artifices, sold off, and the rest may in no 
Jong time be sacrificed to men whose cupidity stimu- 
lates them to depreciate its value, unless proper means 
are used to thwart their nefarious designs. 

The negroes on this estate, including all descriptions, 
amount to about fifteen hundred in number. They 
are in general a very excellent class of men, tractable 
and gentle in their dispositions, and by no means defi- 
cient in intellect. Great pains have been taken to en- 
lighten them. They are regularly instructed in the 
principles of the Christian faith, and have prayers pub- 
licly read to them morning and evening, at the com- 
mencement and close of their day's labour. Plots of 



116 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ground, at their own choice, are assigned to each, and 
two days in the week, besides the incidental holidays, 
are allowed them to raise and cultivate produce for their 
own subsistence; the rest of their time and labour is 
devoted to the service of His Highness. The system 
of management, however, is so bad, that they are half- 
starved, almost destitute of clothing, and most misera- 
bly lodged ; their average earnings do not amount to a 
penny per day each. A reform in the establishment 
might have been easily effected on the arrival of the 
Prince Regent; but it will now be very difficult, as the 
abuses have been tacitly sanctioned by the indifference 
of those whose duty and interest-it was to correct them. 
In this extent of fine ground scarcely an inclosure is 
made ; the cultivated lands are full of weeds, and the 
coffee-plantations are little better than a mere coppice- 
wood, in which the wild shrubs grow higher than the 
coffee-trees. The cattle are most deplorably neglected, 
and there is not upon the whole premises a horse fit 
for the meanest beggar to ride. Such was the state in 
which 1 found this rich and extensive district, which 
seems to have been destined by nature for the intro- 
duction of improvements that might produce, through 
the influence of high example, an entire change in the 
agricultural system of Brazil. 

A short time after 1 had taken up my residence at 
Santa Cruz the Prince came down, and on the day 
succeeding his arrival honoured me with a visit, after 
which 1 frequently rode out with His Royal Highness. 
He one day did me the honour to express a wish that 
I would undertake to govern the farm ; this proposal I 
begged leave to decline, on the ground of my inability 
to render such an employ compatible with my other 
concerns, suggesting at the same time the superior 
service I could render by working the iron mine. 
Notwithstanding this, the Prince, on the day following, 
gave me a paper, containing an offer of the whole di- 
rection of the estate, and stating the terms. The repe- 
tition of the proposal not a little embarrassed me. I 
was aware that, by refusing, I might probably debar 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



117 



myself from the prospect of any future favour, yet I 
anticipated enough of difficulty in the undertaking to 
make me decline it at all events. This dilemma occa- 
sioned me much uneasiness : and in order to remove 
it I applied to Sir Sidney Smith, who was then on a 
visit to Santa Cruz, requesting him to explain to His 
Royal Highness the circumstances which rendered it 
impossible forme to settle in Brazil, and to tender him 
the offer of my services during my stay. After some 
further deliberation, however, I was induced to accept 
the appointment, by way of trial, for a few months, 
under the express stipulation that I should act without 
control. On entering upon my charge I began by mak- 
ing such new arrangements as appeared conducive to 
the end for which I was appointed. But I soon per- 
ceived that instead of being principal intendant, I had 
a superior, who held me accountable to him for my 
proceedings, and manifested a fixed determination to 
thwart them, as innovations on the established course 
of things, But this was not the only inconvenience ; 
it was expected that I should purchase whatever was 
wanted on my own credit; but I quickly discovered, 
that instead of being reimbursed, according to agree- 
ment, I was trifled with and at length in part defraud- 
ed. The person to whom I allude was one of the 
managers of the Prince's household. He had conceiv- 
ed a rooted hatred against the English, and could not 
bear that one of that nation should interfere in a con- 
cern over which he claimed authority, and hold a si- 
tuation where real services might induce a comparison 
unfavourable to those specious ones which he content- 
ed himself with rendering. I will not detail the petty- 
artifices and mean indirect insults which this man em- 
ployed, to disgust me with the situation, when he 
found I would not submit to be his servile drudge; 
suffice it to say that, perceiving no chance of obtaining 
that discretionary power, which alone could enable me 
to be essentially useful, I peremptorily refused to act 
any longer. Alarmed at this determination, he at first 
strove to overawe and then concilate me ; but I had 



118 



TRAVELS IN THE 



seen too much of his conduct to be duped by this stra- 
tagem, or to suppose that any cordiality could in future 
subsist between us. imagining himself armed with 
Royal power, he attempted to play the tyrant, but the 
reception he met with quickly forced him to resume 
his natural character, that of a cringing sycophant. I 
did not hesitate to send in my resignation, and he had 
the mortification to find that the means he had employed 
to embarrass and enslave me, restored me to liberty. 

In the letter which announced my determination to 
give up the employ, I thought proper to omit stating 
to His Excellency Don Rodrigo the reasons that led 
me to this step. Had that nobleman been apprised of 
the disagreeable circumstances in which I was placed, 
he would, 1 am confident, have done his utmost to 
remove them. But I deemed it beneath me to remon- 
strate, seeing that while this man remained I was to be 
considered as serving the Prince's servant and not the 
Prince. A condition so degrading must ever deter any 
Englishman from undertaking to execute the excellent 
and enlightened plans which His Royal Highness's 
ministers have projected, for improving the agriculture 
of Santa Cruz ; for who would submit to the dictates of 
an underling, whose arrogance and obstinacy are con- 
tinually interrupting and frustrating those plans? 

On my return to Rio de Janeiro, the Prince sent 
for me, and desired me again and again to return to 
Santa Cruz. I contented myself with a simple excuse ; 
for that was not a time, nor was I in a place to enter 
into explanations. It is well known, that a system of 
intrigue prevails near His Royal Highness's person, 
which often tends to counteract representations on 
matters of the greatest importance. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



119 



CHAP. VIII. 



Journey to Canta Gallo. 

QOME time after my return from Santa Cruz, a cir- 
^?cu instance took place, which occasioned me to un- 
dertake a journey to a district called Canta Gallo, distant 
about forty leagues from the capital, and one of the 
latest discovered in this part of Brazil. Two men re- 
ported that they had there found a mine of silver, and 
brought to the mint a quantity of earthy matter reduc- 
ed to powder, from which was smelted a small ingot of 
that metal. This report being officially laid before 
His Excellency Don Hodrigo, I was solicited to go 
to Canta Gallo and investigate the business on the spot, 
the two men being ordered to meet me there. Be- 
fore I proceed to relate the result of my inquiry, I shall 
briefly describe whatever I observed worthy of note in 
the course of the journey. 

Being provided with a passport, and also a sketch of 
the route, taken from a MS. map in the archives, I de- 
parted from Rio on the 10th of April 1809, accompa- 
nied by Dr. Gardner, the gentleman already mentioned 
as lecturer on chemistry at the college of St. Joaquim. 
Having to pass to the bottom of the harbour, towards 
the north, we embarked in a small vessel, and being 
favoured with a strong sea breeze, ran down to the en- 
trance of the fine river Maccacu, which we reached 
after a five hours' sail. The wind then dying, our 
boatmen took to their oars, and proceeding up the river 
we reached a house called Villa Nova, where numbers 
of market- boats for Rio were waiting for the land-wind 
and the turn of the tide. After taking some refreshment 
here, we rowed onward until the river became so narrow 
that the vessel frequently touched the bank on each side, 



120 



TRAVELS IN" THE 



and the men were obliged to push her along with poles, 
At day-break we reached Porto dos Caxhes, a place 
of great resort from the interior, being the station where 
the mules discharge their loads of produce from the 
many plantations in the neighbourhood. The town 
consists of several poor houses, and of stores where 
goods are deposited for embarkation. The stratum 
hereabouts is primitive granite, covered with fine strong 
clay. Leaving this place, we proceeded for some dis- 
tance and came to a large swamp, which we navigated 
in a canoe, with very little difficulty, and shortly after- 
wards arrived at the village of Maccacu. It stands on 
a small eminence in the midst of a fine plain, watered 
by a considerable stream, over which there are two 
good bridges. Though almost at the base of the chain 
of mountains that forms a barrier along the coast, the 
neighbourhood affords some fine situations ; the land 
in general consists of a strong clay, but appears much 
worn out. The commander, Colonel Jose, to whom I 
introduced myself, gave me a very polite reception, as 
did also the brethren of the convent, to whom I paid a 
visit. I passed the night at the house of the Escrivano, 
a worthy gentleman, whose hospitality I still remem- 
ber with peculiar gratitude, because it seemed to pro- 
ceed, not from a cold sense of duty, but from the im- 
pulse of a warm and generous heart. 

On the following day, being accommodated by the 
colonel with a horse and guide, I proceeded along the 
winding banks of the river, which in many places 
present most beautiful views. Here was more culti- 
vated land than I expected to see ; but the sugar-plan- 
tations, and, in general, the low pasture-grounds, are 
quite neglected. We passed several farms belonging 
to convents, which, from their apparent condition, and 
the accounts we received, do little more than maintain 
the negroes and incumbents upon them. There was 
rarely a milch cow to be met with : pigs and poultry 
were equally scarce. The population of these fine 
valleys is deplorably thin and poor ; there was a general 
sickliness in the looks of the women and children we 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



121 



met with, which may be imputed to their miserable 
diet and inactive life. I ought to state that the manners 
of the people here are mild and gentle. We were every 
where treated with civility : and all our enquiries were 
answered with the most friendly marks of respect and 
attention. 

The air, as we drew nearer the mountains, was fresh, 
and indeed cold. Towards evening we arrived at a 
farm belonging to a convent of nuns in Rio de Janeiro^ 
where we were kindly accommodated for the i tight. 
This place is most agreeably situated, and might, un- 
der skilful and industrious management, be rendered a 
paradise. It has excellent clay ; fine timber ; a good 
fall of water, which forms a beautiful rivulet, and runs 
into a navigable river within one hundred yards of the 
house ; a fine extent of arable land, and a still finer of 
pasture, which peculiarly qualifies it for dairy farming. 
It is distant only one day's journey from Port Caxhes, 
whence there is a navigable communication with the 
metropolis. What a scene for an enterprising agricul- 
turist ! At present all is neglected. The house, the 
out-buildings, and other conveniences are in a state of 
decay, and the people who manage the land, appear, in 
common with the animals that feed upon it, to be half 
famished. 

The next morning we proceeded eastward, and 
crossing the stream, which was at least sixty yards 
broad, and full three feet deep, rode along the farther 
margin, which is rather more elevated, and presents a 
view of some fine plains, stretching from thence to the 
base of the mountains. Journeying in that direction we 
reached the fine plantation of Captain Ferrera, who re- 
ceived us very politely, and shewed us every attention. 
This place, bounded by the alpine ridge behind it, is 
the extreme point to which the river Maccacu is navi- 
gable. It is six or seven leagues from the village of that 
name. The estate maintains about one hundred ne- 
groes, who are chiefly employed in raising sugar, cot- 
ton, and coffee ; but to me the situation appeared 
much better calculated for growing grain, and feeding 

Q 



122 



TRAVELS IN THE 



cattle ; as the weather is at times cold, the evenings are 
frequently attended with heavy dews, and owing to the 
proximity of the mountains, here are frequent rains, 
accompanied by thunder and lightning. Numbers of 
fine springs burst forth from various parts of the hills, 
and form rivulets with falls, which, as here is plenty of 
fine timber, afford every means for working machinery. 
The owner lives in opulence, as is so humane and libe- 
ral to his people, that they seem to revere him as a 
father. We were much pleased with the air of domes- 
tic comfort and contented industry, which we observed 
among them on visiting their dwellings in the evening. 
Some of the negro- children were at play ; others of 
more advanced age were assisting the women to pick 
cotton ; and the men were scraping and preparing man- 
dioca. Their cheerfulness was not at all interrupted by 
our approach, nor did they betray any uneasy feeling 
of constraint in the presence of their superiors. In lieu 
of candles, which are seldom to be met with but in 
the capital, they burn oil, extracted from the bean of 
the palm, or from a small species of ground-nut, here 
called meni. 

About noon, on the following day, horses being 
provided, and a soldier appointed for our guide, we left 
the fazenda, accompanied by its hospitable owner, 
Captain Ferrera, who conducted us half a league on 
our way. The river, along which we passed in an eas- 
terly direction, bursts through vast masses of rock with 
great force, and in some parts forms considerable falls. 
The Captain, ere we parted, led me to a water- course, 
in which were found pieces of granite covered with 
manganese in a botryoidal form. After crossing the 
river twice, we arrived at what is called the first register, 
or searching-house, distant about two miles from the 
fazenda. This station is guarded by a corporal and a 
private soldier, who are charged with the receipt of va- 
rious tolls, and are empowered to search passengers, in 
order to prevent the smuggling of gold-dust. After 
shewing my passport, I took leave of Captain Ferrera, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



123 



who made me promise to pay him a longer visit on 

my return. 

V e had been warned of the badness of the roads, 
and were by no means agreeably deceived in them ; 
for we were nearly four hours in going the next six 
miles. At the close of day, after a laborious and 
dangerous passage through abrupt ravines, and along 
the sides of steep hills, our guide announced that we 
were in sight of the second register, where it was pro- 
posed that we should pass the night. On arriving we 
found it a most miserable place, inhabited by five or 
six soldiers under the command of a Serjeant This 
good man gave us a hearty welcome, and with the as- 
sistance of his comrades, cooked us a supper of fowls, 
and regaled us with whatever else their scanty store 
afforded. We were not without music to our repast, 
for the house is built on the edge of a roaring torrent, 
which, bursting through a ravine, has washed away 
every thing except some huge masses of rock. A piece 
of ground, about ten yards square, is all the garden 
these poor people have, and even this is much neglect- 
ed, for the guards here are so often changed, that no 
one thinks of adding to the comforts and conveniences 
of an abode, which others are to enjoy. 

At day-break, we found that our mules had strayed 
into a wood adjoining : but as the road was stopped, 
we were under no apprehension of losing them, for the 
thickets on each side were impervious. This occur- 
rence gave me an opportunity of seeing more of these 
remote regions, and certainly the imagination of Sal- 
vator Rosa himself never pictured so rude a solitude. 
On one side rose the great barrier of mountains, which 
we had yet to cross, covered to their summits with 
trees and underwood, without the smallest trace of 
cultivation ; on the other lay the broken country, be- 
tween this ridge and the plain, presenting the same 
wild features of sylvan scenery. The miserable hut, at 
which we lodged, partook of the savage character of 
the neighbourhood, ajxT seemed formed for the abode 
of men cut off from all intercourse with their fellows. 



124 



TRAVELS IN THE 



On our return we were provided with a breakfast of 
coffee and eggs ; as to milk, there was no possibility of 
procuring any. A cow would have been considered 
here as an incumbrance, nor would any one of the six 
idle soldiers have given himself the trouble of milking 
her, though they all had been dying of hunger. 

On resuming our journey, we entered on a road still 
more steep and rugged than that which we had passed. 
We were often obliged to dismount and lead our mules 
up almost perpendicular passes, and along fearful de- 
clivities. In some places, the thick foliage of the trees, 
and that of the underwood, which grew higher than 
our heads, sheltered us from the sun, and indeed scarce- 
ly admitted the light. Not a bird did we see, nor the 
trace of any living thing, except some wild hogs. We 
passed several bare granite rocks of a gneiss-like for- 
mation. 

In journeying to the next station, we observed no- 
thing worthy of note except a small saw-mill, worked 
by an overshot wheel, of very clumsy construction. 
The frame, which contains a single saw of very thick 
iron, moves in a perpendicular direction ; at every 
stroke, a boy brings the timber up, by pulling a cord 
attached to a crank that moves the cylinder on which 
it rests. How readily, thought I, would the meanest 
Russian peasant improve this machine ! 

We proceeded on our way up an ascent so preci- 
pitous, that we were obliged to walk more than ride ; af- 
ter two hours toiling along the side of a granite moun- 
tain, in which we observed some beds of fine clay, we 
reached the summit, from whence we saw the bay of 
Rio de Janeiro, the sugar-loaf mountain, and the city 
itself, to all appearance not more than four or five 
leagues distant from us, though, in reality, more than 
twenty. At this elevation, which we may state to be 
at four or five thousand feet above the level of the sea, 
the air was sharp and kt^n ; the thermometer stood at 
58°. Continuing in a north-easterly direction, we 
passed two poor solitary farm^ and entered upon a 
range of scenery tremendously gr^nd, composed of 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



125 



bare abrupt conical mountains, with immense water- 
falls in every direction. At the close of day, we arrived 
at a farm-house, called Fazenda do Moro Quern ado, 
the manager of which received us hospitably, and ac- 
commodated us for the night. The weather was so 
cold, that a double supply of bed-clothes scarcely pro- 
duced sufficient warmth ; in the morning the thermo- 
meter was at 48° Fahrenheit. After the heavy dew 
cleared away, we took a view of the grounds, in com- 
pany with the manager. They appeared well-suited 
for a grazing-farm ; but the temperature of the atmos- 
phere is too severe for growing the common produce 
of the country ; particularly cotton, coffee, and bana- 
nas, which are frequently blasted. I was informed that 
some wheat has been grown here, though the people 
are quite unacquainted with the European method of 
farming. Indian corn, for the feed of hogs, is the sta- 
ple article. This plantation is infested by ounces, which 
at times prey upon young cattle. The manager, who is 
a great hunter, keeps dogs, though of a poor race, for 
the express purpose of destroying them, which is thus 
practised : — When the carcass of a worried animal has 
been found, or when an ounce has been seen prowling 
about, the news is soon proclaimed among the neigh- 
bours, two or three of whom take, fire arms loaded with 
heavy slugs, and go out with the dogs in quest or the 
animal, which generally lurks in some thicket, near the 
carcass he has killed, and leaves so strong a scent, that 
the dogs soon find him. When disturbed, he retreats 
to his den, if he has one, the clogs never attempting to 
fasten on him, or even to face him, but, on the contrary, 
endeavouring to get out of his way, which is not dif- 
ficult, as the ounce is heavy and slow of motion, if he 
caves, the sport is at an end, and the hunters block up 
the entrance : but he more commonly has recourse to 
a large tree, w 7 hich he climbs with great facility ; here 
his fate is generally decided, for the hunters get hear 
enough to take steady aim, and seldom fail to bring 
him down, one oi them reserving his fire to despatch 
him, if required, after he nas fallen. It generally hap- 



126 



TRAVELS IN THE 



pens, that one or two of the dogs are killed in coming 
too near; for even in his dying struggles, a single stroke 
of his paw proves mortal. The skin is carried home as 
a trophy ; and the neighbours meet and congratulate 
each other on the occasion. 

This farm, in the hands of an experienced and skil- 
ful agriculturist, might be managed so as to produce 
amazing returns. Its soil is wet, adapted to the growth, 
not only of Indian corn, but of wheat, barley, potatoes, 
&c. and it is so well irrigated, by numerous mountain 
streams, that the pastures are always luxuriant. Here 
are fine falls of water, and abundance of excellent tim- 
ber, so that corn-mills might be erected at little more 
expence than what would arise from the purchase of 
mill-stones. Connected with the nun's farm below, 
this establishment might be rendered one of the most 
complete and advantageous in Brazil. 

Leaving Moro Quemado at noon, and descending 
on the other side of the ridge of mountains, we passed 
through an unequal tract, formed of hills and ravines. 
Onward the land appeared finer, and the timber of a 
superior growth : but there were few cultivated spots, 
and not many houses. The first extensive fazenda 
we reached was that of Manuel Jose Pereira, a native 
of the Azores, who managed his agricultural concerns 
much better than the other farmers whom we visited. 
We were shewn a large field of Indian corn, ready for 
cutting ; the quantity that had been sown was about 
eleven fanegas, or bushels, and the produce was esti- 
mated at fifteen hundred bushels, about one hundred 
and fifty for one. This was an ordinary crop ; in good 
years the harvest yields two hundred for one. The 
corn, as before stated, is chiefly consumed in the fat- 
tening of pigs ; the quantity requisite for this purpose 
is six or seven bushels each, and the time, ten or 
twelve weeks. This food has the peculiar effect of 
giving greater solidity to the fat, which of itself is not 
liable to putrefaction. The curing of bacon is per- 
formed by cutting all the lean from the flitches, and 
sprinkling them with a very little salt. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



127 



Though the owner of this farm has occupied it not 
more than five years, and has had only the assistance 
of his two sons, and six negroes, he has brought it into 
a very fair state of cultivation. In his coffee plantation 
we observed five thousand trees in full bearing : and 
the rest of his grounds were in an equally prosperous 
condition. His expences, indeed, are light : and the 
only difficulties he has had to contend with, have been 
the bad roads, which are now much amended. The 
example of this man, it is to be hoped, will stimulate 
the emulation of his neighbours ; for it has fully shewn 
the unbounded liberality with which nature here crowns 
the labours of the agriculturist. 

On our way hence to the place of our destination^ 
we passed through some forests of fine full-grown trees ; 
one which had fallen, I had the curiosity to measure ; 
it was full seventy -six inches in diameter, at the thick 
end, and above twenty-five yards in length. Such a 
piece of timber I had never before seen. Within about 
three miles from Canta Gallo, we arrived at an excel- 
lent farm belonging to the Senhor Tenente, or treasurer 
of the district, who treated us very hospitably, and in- 
vited us to visit him on our return. Our reception at 
Canta Gallo was highly gratifying ; the Governor, and 
all the principal inhabitants, overjoyed to see English- 
men in these remote parts, treated us with great cor- 
diality and friendship. A dinner was provided, at which 
they testified to us the great respect they entertained 
for our nation, as being the great ally of a Prince whom 
they adored. 



128 



TRAVELS IN THE 



CHAP. IX. 



Description of Canta Gallo. — -Of the Gold-washing of 
Santa Rita, — Account of the supposed Silver- Mine* 

CANTA GALLO, though so near the seat of go- 
vernment, was not known until about twenty years 
ago. It is situated in the midst of a fine well-wooded 
country, abounding in springs, and intersected by nar- 
row valleys and ravines. The bottoms of some of 
these ravines formerly contained gold, which was ac- 
cidentally discovered by some grimperos* from Minas 
Geraes, in the course of their searches about the great 
river Paraiba, and the Rio Pumba. The richness of 
these beds of gold, and the fertility of the circumja- 
cent country, attracted numbers of adventurers, who 
placed themselves under the direction of an able chief- 
tain, named Mao de Luva, on account of his having 
lost one hand, and his wearing a stuffed glove in its 
place. The band soon amounted to two or three hun- 
dred persons, who washed every part in the neighbour- 
hood worth washing, before they were discovered, Be- 
ing very determined men, they lived free of control, 
and bade defiance to the laws. It was not until about 
three years after their first settlement, that the existing 
government was apprised of them ; when, alarmed at 
the report of their numbers, which was doubtless exag- 
gerated, they sent out spies to discover their rendez- 
vous. This, after much time and great difficulty, was 
effected ; the spies, in wandering through the solitary 
woods and fastnesses in the neighbourhood, were at- 



* A name given to those persons who go about the country seeking gold- 
washings, and do not give notice, or solicit a grant wh.en they discover any, 
They are considered and treated as smugglers. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



129 



traded toward the place, by the crowing of a cock : — ■ 
hence the name of Canta Gallo, which was subsequent- 
ly given to it. They introduced themselves as smug- 
glers, who wished to belong to the fraternity, and after 
living there some time, found means to give information 
to government, at Rio de Janeiro, who issued proclama- 
tions, offering pardon if the whole body would surrender; 
This measure was ineffectual ; the grimperos were well 
provided with fire-arms, and determined to defend 
themselves, as long as any gold could be found. In a year 
or two afterwards, the washings began to fail, and thus the 
great bond of interest, which united them being loosen- 
ed, some deserted the place, and the rest became less 
vigilant in taking measures for their defence. The 
government seized this favourable opportunity of re- 
ducing them ; a considerable force was assembled in 
the vicinity, with orders to make an attack, at a certain 
fixed day, which was known to be celebrated by the 
grimperos as a festival, in honour of some saint. At 
the expected time, while they were engaged at a great 
banqueting, and too much occupied with their wine to 
think of their arms ; which had been laid aside, (the 
flints having been secretly taken out,) about a hundred 
soldiers rushed in among them ; those who were sober 
enough flew to their arms, exclaiming, " We are sold S 
we are betrayed ! treason ! treason !" The contest was 
short; the soldiers seized the ringleaders, who were 
either sent to Africa, or imprisoned for life ; of the rest, 
some were taken prisoners, others fled, but were pur- 
sued for years afterwards, and a few fell in the attack. 

The Government, having thus become masters of 
this territory, and imagining it to be as rich in gold, as 
when the grimperos first settled there, issued many in- 
judicious regulations, oppressed the natives beyond 
example, built registers in various parts, to prevent 
contraband, and filled the whole neighbourhood with 
guards. The numerous settlers, whom the supposed 
richness of the place afterwards attracted, soon found 
that the cream had been skimmed, by the smugglers ; 
and by degrees turned their attention to agriculture, a 



130 



TRAVELS IN THE 



less precarious subsistence than mining. So little gold 
is at present found, that His Highness's fifth, scarcely 
pays the officers and soldiers appointed to receive it. 
There are some situations alike favourable to mining 
and farming : with a small capital, a man may here 
turn both pursuits to account, if he can bring himself 
to conform to the customs of the place. The land is 
strong and good ; its various inequalities, present spots 
adapted to the growth of almost every description of 
produce. In the valleys, and on the sides of the moun- 
tains, the soil, in some parts, consists of strong clay, 
but more generally of a fine, rich, vegetable mould. 
The rock, or solid strata, which appears at various 
depths below it, is granite, composed of feld-spar, 
hornblende, quartz, mica, and frequently garnets. 
When found in a decomposing state, it is denominated 
pizarra. No metallic substances, except gold and 
oxides of iron, appear: the former, which is found, in 
the interjacent bed of cascalhao, exists only in grains ; 
I examined a considerable quantity, but could not dis- 
cover, a single particle in a crystallized state. 

The country appears, to be very poorly stocked 
with cattle ; no cows are kept for milking, nor is any 
attention here paid, to the production of an article of 
diet, so essential, to the subsistence of a poor family ; 
a few goats are kept, and the only milk used is that 
which they yield. The common food of the inhabi- 
tants, is as follows ; — for breakfast, a kind of kidney 
beans, called feijones, boiled, and afterwards mixed with 
the flour of Indian corn ; for dinner, feijones boiled with 
a little fat pork and some cabbage leaves, and a sort of 
pudding, made by pouring the water from the pork on 
a plate of the farinha, which is eaten with the hand, and 
much relished ; for supper, some poor vegetables, also 
boiled up with fat pork. Fowls, which are bred here 
in great numbers, are generally cut to pieces and stewed 
for table. Wine is rarely used, even among the higher 
ranks, but here are fruits in great abundance, particular- 
ly bananas, and oranges, which form a considerable part 
of the general diet. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



131 



Very little sugar is grown here : the principal articles 
of produce sent to the capital, are corn, bacon, fowls, 
jaracanda, or rose-wood, and ipecacuanha. In many 
parts of the neighbourhood, is found a tree, the bark of 
which has been successfully used as a substitute for the 
quinquina of Peru. 

In one of the frequent excursions, I took in the 
neighbourhood of Canta Gallo, previous to my journey, 
to the reputed silver mine, I obtained some information, 
respecting the half- civilized aborigines of the district, 
from a man who employs himself, in procuring ipeca- 
cuanha, and is a kind of chief among them. They 
reside in the woods, in a most miserable condition ; 
their dwellings, some of which I saw ; are formed of 
boughs of trees, bent so as to hold a thatch or tiling of 
palm-leaves ; their beds are made of dry grass. Having 
little idea of planting, or tillage, they depend for sub- 
sistence, almost entirely, on their bows and arrows, 
and on the roots and wild fruits, which they casually 
find in the woods. The chief above-mentioned, brought 
about fifty of these Indians, to pay me a visit, which 
was not a little gratifying to me, as it afforded an op- 
portunity of examining their features, and of conversing 
with the few among them, who could speak a little of 
the Portugueze language. The dress of the men con- 
sisted of a waistcoat, and a pair of drawers ; that of the 
women, of a chemise and petticoat, with a handkerchief 
tied round the head, after the fashion of the Portugueze 
females. They bore the general characteristics of their 
race, the copper-coloured skin, short and round visage, 
broad nose, lank black hair, and regular stature, inclin- 
ing to the short and broad-set. Being desirous to see 
a proof of their skill, and precision in shooting, of 
which I had heard much, I placed an orange at thirty 
yards distance, which was pierced by an arrow, from 
every one who drew his bow at it. I next pointed out 
a banana-tree, about eight inches in circumference, at 
a distance of forty yards ; not a single arrow missed its 
aim, though they all shot at an elevated range. Interest- 
ed by these proofs of their archery, I went with some 



132 



TRAVELS IN THE 



of them into a wood, to see them shoot at birds ; though 
there were very few, they discovered them far more 
quickly, than 1 could ; and, cautiously creeping along, 
until they were within bow-shot, never failed to bring 
down their game. The stillness, and expedition, with 
which they penetrated the thickets, and passed through 
the brush- wood, were truly surprising ; nor could any- 
thing have afforded me a more satisfactory idea o/ their 
peculiar way of life. Their bows are made of the tough 
fibrous wood of the iri, six or seven feet long, and 
very stout ; their arrows are full six feet long, and near 
an inch in diameter, pointed with a piece of cane, cut 
to a feather edge, or with a bone, but of late more fre- 
quently with iron. They are loathsome in their per- 
sons, and in their habits, but one remove from the 
anthropophagi ; for they will devour almost any animal, 
in the coarsest manner, for instance, a bird unplucked, 
half-roasted, with the entrails remaining.* They are 
not of a shy or morose character, but have a great 
aversion to labour, and cannot be brought to submit, to 
any regular employment. Rarely is an Indian to be 
found serving as a domestic, or working for hire, and 
to this circumstance may be ascribed, the low state of 
agriculture in the district ; for as the farmers, when 
they begin the world, have seldom funds sufficient to 
purchase negroes at Rio, their operations are for a long 
time very confined, and frequently languish for want of 
hands. What benefits would result to the state, and 
how much would the general cause of humanity be 
served, if these Indians were civilized, and domesti- 
cated ! A tribe of idle and unsettled savages, would be 
converted into useful and productive labourers ; the 
whole face of the district would be improved ; the 



* Ere they departed, I saw an instance of that dangerous excess to which 
the passions of savages are liable when once excited ; for, on presenting a 
few bottles of liquor, there was a general strife for them, and the person, 
man or woman, who first obtained one, would have drank the whole of its 
content?, had it not been forcibly taken away. It is very unsafe to give them 
ardem spirits, for when intoxicated it is necessary to confine them. If pre- 
ference is given to one, the rest are insolent, and unruly, until they obtain 
the same marks of favour* 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



133 



roads, which at present connect it with the capital, 
would be cleared of the thousand inconveniences, 
which now encumber them, and new ones,* would be 
opened for the more expeditious conveyance of its pro- 
duce. 

During my stay at Canta Gallo I undertook a journey 
to the gold- washing at Santa Rita, distant about five 
leagues, in a north-east direction. After passing the 
uneven country, in the immediate neighbourhood of 
the village, we arrived at the Rio Negro, a considerable 
stream formed by many rivulets, which empties itself 
into the Paraiba ; on crossing it,f we entered upon a 
fine open country, the fertility of which was evident, 
from the luxuriant growth of the tobacco, and other 
plants : but it lay in a state of almost total neglect, and 
the families thinly scattered upon it, appeared in the 
lowest condition of indolence and misery. We pro- 
ceeded a league farther, through a tract entirely desti- 
tute of inhabitants, and arrived about two in the after- 
noon at Santa Rita. The proprietor of the works, re- 
ceived us very kindly, and conducted us through them 
while dinner was preparing. The washing is in a deep 
ravine, bounded at one end by an abrupt hill, and open 
at the other to the plain. The vegetable earth appeared 
extremely rich, being clothed with luxuriant verdure, 
and the hills on each hand covered with trees of all 
sizes. The stratum of cascalhao, which lies under a 
bed of soil four or five feet deep, is very thin and un- 
even, being no where more than two feet thick, and in 
many parts not more than seven, or eight inches. The 
incumbent soil is removed at great labour and expence, 
being dug out and carried away in bowls ; and the cas- 
calhao is conveyed with great care to a convenient place 
for water, where it is washed by the most expert among 
the miners, in a way similar to that practised at the 



* I was well informed that a few hundred pounds, judiciously employed, 
would defray the expence of making a good road, from Canta Gallo, to Porto 
dos Caxhes, which loaded mules might travel in two days. 

f The mode of crossing a river with horses or mules in these parts, is to 
tie one to the canoe, and drive him into the water ; the rest follow. 



134 



TRAVELS IN THE 



mines of Jaragua. The proportion of gold produced 
was moderate : I was informed that it paid the master, 
at the rate of from fourteen pence to two shillings per 
day for each negro, which is a large profit, as the daily 
subsistence of one costs somewhat less than a penny. 

The sides of the ravine towards the top were bare, 
and of different shades of colour, being tinged by the 
water which flows from the vegetable matter above : in 
the bottom, on the surface diat was yet un worked, lay 
some huge, half-rounded, amorphous masses. In the 
parts which had been worked, I observed two or three 
substances of the same kind, which being too large to 
be moved, the earth which imbedded them had been 
cut away, and they appeared like detached nodules. On 
breaking a fragment from one of them with my ham- 
mer, I was much surprised to find it a calcareous sub- 
stance, a solid mass composed of hexagonal crystals, 
with a small portion of brilliant crystals of specular iron 
ore. I presented this fragment to the proprietor, in- 
forming him that it was limestone, at which he was truly 
astonished, having never before heard of stone lime 
nor would he believe me until I proved it by calcina- 
tion. The mountains, as I afterwards found, are of the 
same substance. 

As 1 stood observing the heavy operation of cutting 
and carrying away the surface to get at the cascalhao, 
it occurred to me that much time, and labour might be 
saved, by arching the work with brick ; but, on sug- 
gesting the idea, I was informed that the sole, or bot- 
tom was quite decomposed, and subject to much 
water. 

There is reason to suppose that the stratum of lime- 
stone, below the earth in the bottom of the valley, is of 
very modern formation, and that, if not too thick, to 
cut through, there might be found, between it and the 
granite stratum underneath, a bed of cascalhao of prior 
formation, much richer in gold than the upper stratum. 



* The little lime which they use here is made of shells, and is brought 
from Porto dos Caxhes. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



135 



After having investigated these works, we took an 
excursion of seven or eight miles, chiefly over a rich 
plain abounding with the finest timber. On the margins 
of the rivulets which we crossed, I observed that the 
moss was incrusted, somewhat like the tuffa at Mat- 
lock ; and, on more particular examination, I found a 
stratum of tuffa in all the valleys, a few inches below 
the surface, which, as I conjecture, must have proceed- 
ed from the deposition of calcareous matter, by the 
overflowings of the streams after heavy rains. The hills 
even at this distance were composed of the same sparry 
limestone as at the gold- washing. It is much to be 
wished, that the value of this material, were duly ap- 
preciated at the capital, where the cost of the wood 
used in burning shells into lime, exceeds the price at 
which lime brought from Santa Rita might be deliver- 
ed, if proper roads were made for its conveyance, from 
this district to Porto dos Caxhes. Such an undertaking 
highly deserves the attention of His Highness's minis- 
ters ; the benefits likely to result from it, are incalcu- 
lable, and the expence attending it would be trifling ; 
for in no part of the globe are roads made so cheaply, 
or public works of any kind done on such moderate 
terms, as in Brazil. 

This fine but almost uninhabited district produces 
spontaneously many valuable articles of commerce, 
which run to waste for want of hands to cultivate and 
gather them. Here is found that celebrated variety of 
the palm-tree, the long, serrated, lancet-formed leaves 
of which are composed of innumerable fibres, that rival 
silk both in fineness and strength. I bought some fish- 
ing-lines made of them for a mere trifle ; and I have no 
doubt that, if proper means were employed to propa- 
gate the growth of the trees, this valuable substance 
might be produced in as great plenty, and at as cheap 
a rate, as flax is in England. 1 laid before His High- 
ness's ministers a project for using it as a substitute 
for that article in the manufacture of fine cordage ; and 
I shewed by experiment, that it was fully adequate to 
the purpose. 



I 3 b 



TRAVELS IN THE 



We remained two days at Santa Rita, and its vicini- 
ty ; and on the third, set out on our return, taking the 
same route by which we came. In some parts we 
observed numerous flocks of birds, particularly parrots, 
and a few fine wild-hens of the wood, and these were 
the only objects that engaged our attention. We reach- 
ed Canta Gallo without having met with any monstrous 
serpents, or any other uncommon sights which travel- 
lers usually see, or fancy in a strange country. 

After a few days' rest, I set out, accompanied by a 
guide, to the supposed silver-mine, notice having pre- 
viously been sent to the men, to prepare them for my 
coming. We travelled for about two miles through a 
deep valley, and arrived at a rapid stream called Macaca, 
which runs between two almost perpendicular moun- 
tains, of very inconsiderable height, along one of 
which, the road leads for about a mile and a half. Hav- 
ing passed this gloomy, and dangerous ravine, we pro- 
ceeded half a league farther, and halted, at a neat farm- 
house called Machada, with a portion of good, and 
well-cultivated land around it, which looked like a gar- 
den in the wilderness. The owner, a native of the 
Azores, received us very politely, and introduced us 
to his lady, who, with her blooming family of daugh- 
ters, was engaged in needle-work, on materials of their 
own spinning. The neatness of their dress, and the 
general air of propriety and comfort in the apartment 
where they sat, strongly reminded me of my country ; 
and when they regaled us with liquor made from the 
fruits of their own farm, the image of our domestic 
scenes in rural life was complete : I could almost have 
fancied myself transported from the rugged wilds of 
Brazil to the smiling vales of England. 

We left this peaceful abode ; and, advancing for 
six miles through thickets and forests, and over some 
plain land, we reached a farm called St. Antonio, be- 
longing to a widow named Dona Ana, who is noted 
throughout the country, for making excellent butter 
and cheese. The dwelling is of two stories, and neat, 
but very inconvenient. The good lady gave me a 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



137 



hearty repast, of milk, and we entered into some con- 
versation respecting her dairy, in which I learned that 
she knew no other mode of making butter, than that of 
agitating the cream in a jar or bottle ; and her notions 
of cheese-making were equally defective. In looking 
about the grounds for an hour, while our mules rested, 
I noticed an excellent fence, formed by planting a 
strong thorny shrub, that seemed of very rapid and 
luxuriant growth. The few cows that were grazing in 
the inclosures appeared to be of a superior breed, but 
were not managed with either method or foresight. 
The principal produce of the farm is Indian corn, 
and a little cheese ; the latter is only made occasionally, 
when there happens to be a sufficient supply of milk 
for the purpose. 

We were here shewn various samples of earthy mat- 
ter, wrapped very carefully in paper, and preserved 
with great secrecy, under the names of platina, silver, 
&c. They proved to be merely small crystals of brilliant 
iron ore, and pyrites. 

Proceeding a league over a fine country, we reached 
the Rio Grande, a stream as large as the Derwent at 
Derby, which we crossed in a canoe, our mules swim- 
ming after us as usual. We passed several groupes of 
Aborigines, and occasionally saw many of their huts 
and places of abode. The road now led along the bases 
of some huge bold mountains of granite, from whose 
summits rushed fine cascades of water. The low ground 
was interspersed with fragments of the same rock, ly- 
ing in heaps in every direction. In many places the 
grass was so tall, that it reached above the skirts of my 
saddle, and, the weather being wet, rendered me very 
uncomfortable. After a laborious, and latterly a slow 
progress, we arrived by sun-set at the house of Father 
Thomas de Nossa Senhora da Concepgao, who kindly 
accommodated us for the night. 

The house was new, and neatly built, containing only 
four rooms, with boarded floors ; a convenience very 
rarely to be met with in these parts. It is absolutely 
encircled with fine streams, abounding with water-falls, 

S 



TRAVELS IN THE 



which render the roads to it at all times indifferent? 
and in wet weather almost impassable. The father, an 
intelligent and industrious man, informed me that he 
took up that land about tour years since, that he had 
only one negro, and had no funds wherewith to carry 
on his undertaking, except seven or eight pounds per 
annum, which he gained by his profession as a clergy- 
man ; this he expended in hiring those who chose to 
work. He shewed me his garden, which was full of 
fine coffee-trees, and was kept in the neatest order ; his 
fields were covered with Indian corn ; his live stock 
consisted of a good milch cow, a number of pigs, and 
one mule. On asking him how he disposed of his pro- 
duce, he told me that dealers came and purchased it on 
the spot. The whole of the sezmaria, or plantation, with 
the stock upon it, he valued at four hundred pounds ster- 
ling, and said that he had no doubt he could obtain that 
price for it. These were clear data for calculating the 
profits of farming, when managed with prudence and 
industry. Here is a man who, having begun with little 
or nothing, finds himself, at the end of four years, 
worth four hundred pounds ; a snug independency in 
these parts, and not more than his exertions and perse- 
verance deserved. Father Thomas lived more com- 
fortably, than any person I had hitherto met with in the 
district : he was economical, but not parsimonious ; 
liberal in his sentiments, frank and communicative in 
his conversation, and polite in his manners. 

Here I was met by the discoverers of the reputed 
silver. mine, who came to conduct me to it. We set 
out on foot, and, alter walking about six miles over 
mountains impassable for mules, fording rivulets, and 
passing thickets that left me scarcely a single article of 
d^ ess untorn, we arrived at the miserable hut of these 
poor men ; a perfect contrast to the neat dwelling of 
Father Thomas. Never in my life was I so exhausted 
by fatigue ; 1 lay down, unable to go any further, and 
rested for about an hour, when, being somewhat re- 
covered, I accompanied the men, along the edge of a 
beautiful stream, to the foot of the mountain, where 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



139 



they shewed me a hole which they had dug, about two 
feet deep, and informed me that the sand it contained 
at the bottom abounded with grains of silver. Having 
ordered a quantity to be taken out, I proceeded to ex- 
amine the base of the mountain, which I found to be 
of granite-like gneiss, with garnets, and small crystals 
of pyrites. Near this place the margin of the rivulet 
contained rounded stones and sand, but no where was 
there to be found any metallic substance, except the 
one above-mentioned. Indeed, the very idea of silver 
appearing here in dust or grains, as gold does, would 
be preposterous, and contradictory to every principle 
of nature, as, in such a state, it would probably have 
been attacked by the sulphur in the pyrites, so as to 
have assumed the form of a suiphuret. 

I returned in a most wearied and exhausted state to 
Father Thomas's, where, after some needful repose, I 
proceeded to examine the sand and stones, I had col- 
lected at the supposed silver-mine, but no particle of 
metal was to be found. I then ordered the men to pro- 
duce their samples, which I examined both by the 
blow-pipe and by acids, but no silver appeared. After 
equivocating very much, they acknowledged that they 
had rubbed and beaten substances to powder, and 
when they found specular iron ore they thought it was 
silver. In one of the samples, there certainly was silver, 
but it appeared to have been filed probably from an old 
buckle or spoon, or rubbed on a stone and mixed with 
a pulverized substance. The farce could no longer be 
carried on : I charged them, in a most determined 
manner, with imposture, which, after some hesitation, 
they confessed : an officer who was with me would 
have secured them, but I restrained him ; for, having 
obtained a confession, I was unwilling to bring them to 
punishment, or to render them more miserable than 
they already were, by having them sent to the army. 
Perhaps that would have been doing them a greater 
service, than setting them at liberty ; for they were too 
lazy to work, and would, no doubt, return to their old 
habits of prowling about, and subsisting on the creduli- 



140 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ty of the public, by spreading fallacious reports about 
mines, precious stones, &c. Such impositions are not 
uncommon in South America : 1 have known instances 
in which copper-filings, mixed with earth and after- 
wards washed, have been produced as samples, in order 
to enhance the value of land, or to serve some other 
sinister purpose. A passion for mining, is fatally pre- 
valent among some of the lower orders of the people : 
by deluding them with prospects of becoming speedily 
rich, it creates in them a disgust for labour, and entails 
want and wretchedness upon them. Even among the 
few families of this district, I observed some examples 
of its effects ; those who devoted themselves wholly to 
mining, were in general badly clothed and worse fed, 
while those who attended to agriculture alone, were 
well provided with every necessary of life. 

Having concluded the affair, 1 took leave of Father 
Thomas, and returned to Canta Gallo, where i prepared 
my papers for a report respecting it, as the Conde de 
Lin hares had desired me. During the remainder of 
my stay, I collected specimens of the different species 
oi wood which the neighbourhood produces. The 
following is a list of them. 

p enatico — excellent timber. 

Cedar — good and durable. 

Fereiba — hard and good. 

Olio — very solid, and of a peculiar fragrance. 

Cabiuna. 

Jaracanda- — cabinet- wood variegated, black and 
yellow. -This is called rose- wood in England : 
but the best sorts, as it appears to me, have 
not hitherto been imported. 

Jaracatang, 

Ubatang. 

Palms — many varieties, among which is the 
iri, before described. Its wood is unrivalled 
for strength and elasticity. 

Garfuana—i\\Q bark of which, as I was inform- 
ed, affords a yellow dye. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



141 



Embey — a creeping plant. The stems are used 
instead of cords, and often made into bridles. 
Many species of thorny trees. 

Most the above-named species of woods are of large 
growth, and well calculated for ship-buiiding. It is re- 
markable that this district produces none of the dye- 
wood, called Brazil wood. 

Here are innumerable fruit-trees, and shrubs which I 
have omitted to particularize. Tobacco is cultivated 
in some parts, and is always manufactured into roll, by 
uniting the leaves with each other, and twisting them 
with a winch. By this operation the juice is expressed, 
and, after a short exposure to the atmosphere, the 
colour of the tobacco changes from green to black. 

Of wild animals, ounces are the most common; 
they are met with of various colours, some black and 
brown-red. Tapirs or antas are not unfrequent, but I 
saw only the footsteps of some of them. Wild hogs 
breed here in great numbers, and also long-bearded <. 
monkeys ; the latter, when asleep, snore so loud as to s 
astonish the traveller. The most formidable reptiles are 
the corral snake, the surrocuco, the surrocuco-tinga, 
and the jararaca, all said to be mortally venomous, 
none of which I ever saw on the journey, except a 
small one of the former species. 

The prevailing method of clearing, and cultivating 
the land here, is precisely similar to that practised in 
the neighbourhood of St. Paul's. After the timber 
and underwood have been cut down and burnt, (often 
very imperfectly,) the woman negroes dibble the seed ; 
in about six weeks a slight weeding is performed, and 
then the ground is let alone till harvest. The seed- 
time begins in October, and lasts to November ; the 
maize is ripe in four or five months. The next year 
they commonly sow beans on the corn land, which 
they then let lie, and proceed to clear new ground. It 
is not common to molest the land from which they 
have had two crops in succession, before eight or ten 
years have elapsed. 

The sugar-cane, and mandioca require from fourteen to 



s 



142 TRAVELS IN THE 

eighteen months. Coffee planted by shoots bears fruit in 
two years, and is in perfection in five or six years. Cot- 
tons and palmachristi, raised from seed, bear the first year. 

Transplanting is only practised with tobacco; en- 
grafting is little known and rarely attempted. 

The Indian corn is ground by a horizontal water- 
wheel, which acquires great velocity from the rush of 
water upon it. On the upper end is fixed the mill- 
stone, which makes from fifty to sixty revolutions in a 
minute. They have likewise a mode of pounding the 
corn into flour, by a machine called a sloth. Near a 
current of water a large wooden mortar is placed, the 
pestle of which is mortised into the end of a level 
twenty -five or thirty feet long, resting upon a fulcrum, 
at five-eighths of its length. The extremity of the 
shorter arm of this beam is scooped out, so as to re- 
ceive a sufficient weight of water to raise the other end, 
to which appends the pestle, and to discharge itself 
when it has sunk to a given point. The alternate 
emptying and filling of this cavity cause the elevation 
and fall of the pestle, which take place about four times 
per minute. This contrivance surpasses all others in 
simplicity, and in a place where the waste of water is 
of no consequence it completely answers its purpose. 

Having finished my affairs at Canta Gallo, I set out 
on my return to the capital, accompanied for about a 
league of the road by the worthy governor, the captain, 
the treasurer, and almost all the inhabitants. During a 
residence of about fifteen days among these excellent 
men, my table had been sumptuously supplied 
without cost, and I had ueen treated with a degree of 
respect, far exceeding my expectations or merits. I 
took leave of them with regret, wishing most sincerely, 
that it might be in my power to be of service to them 
at court, by making representations in their favour. 

I arrived at Moro Quemado at night, after a journey 
of thirty- four miles,* and on the next day, in good 
time, reached the house of my worthy friend Captain 



* In one part of the road passed a nest of insects -.called roirs b ) 
which are extremely troublesome to cattle, and cause the mules to be very 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



143 



Ferrera. Being now less pressed for time, I took a 
more leisurely survey of his c stabiishment, particularly 
of his sugar- work, and distillery, both which are very 
ill conducted When I saw the furnaces for heating 
the coppers in the latter, I freely told the Captain, that 
they could not have been constructed on a worse plan, 
but I received for answer, that no better was known. 
It would indeed be extremely difficult to introduce 
improvements into this or any other parts of the dis- 
tillery, for every thing is left to the management of the 
negroes. When I asked any question concerning the 
process, the owner professed his ignorance of it, and 
sent for one of the African foremen to answer me. With 
this man I reasoned respecting the excessive quantity 
of fuel consumed to no purpose, and proposed a method 
for saving it, as well as for correcting the disagreeable 
taste of the rum, caused by the empyreuma, which was, 
to re-distil it with an equal quantity of water, taking 
care previously, to clean out the still , but he only laugh- 
ed at me, and signified that his certainly must be the 
best method, for he had learned it of an old sugar- 
maker. Thus it is, that from the indifference of the 
owners to their own interests, things are suffered to go 
on in the same routine, being left to the direction of 
men who shrink from a temporary increase of labour, 
even when it promises them a lasting advantage. This 
aversion to improvement I have often observed among 
the inhabitants of Brazil ; when, for instance, I have 
questioned a brick-maker, a sugar- maker, a soap-boiler, 
or even a miner, his reasons for conducting his concerns,, 
in such an imperfect manner, 1 have been almost invaria- 
bly referred to a negro for answers to my interrogatories. 

Some parts of this estate are said to contain gold, 
and at the time of my visit, Captain Ferrera was nego- 
tiating for permission from Government to work them, 
I presented to him a drawing of a plan for washing 



violent and unruly. They attack with great pertinacity, and pursue to a 
considerable distance ; we took a devious route to get rid of them, but I was 
followed by some which stung me as painfully, as an irritated wasp could 
have done. There is a singular variety of them having a horny pointed pro^ 
boscis, with which they pierce most keenly, and give intolerable pain, 



144 



TRAVELS IN THE 



the cascalhao, in a manner superior to that commonly 
practised, and explained to him the use of grinding, or 
stamping those concrete masses frequently found in it, 
which generally contain particles of gold, but being too 
hard to be crushed by the hand, are thrown aside among 
the debris. 

In this fazenda, as in most others, the conveniences 
for storing the produce are so very poor, and imperfect 
that the weevil soon gets into the com, and the cotton, 
coffee, and ether produce are liable to be deteriorated in 
a thousand ways. The stabling too is bad, and the cattle 
are deplorably neglected ; indeed the only part of the live 
stock that seems to be tolerably well attended to, is the 
swine. In the dwelling-house, I observed a total inat- 
tention to domestic comfort ; its general appearance con- 
firmed a remark which I had often heard made, that the 
owners of estates here dislike to live upon them, and 
considering their residence as only temporary, make 
shift with poor accommodations. 

The tract of land belonging to the farm, is full two 
miles square, and though still susceptible of great im- 
provement, has not been wholly neglected; the parts 
already cleared have produced many valuable crops, and 
the rest will no doubt in a few years be brought to an 
equally promising state of cultivation. 

Having staid two days with Captain Ferrera, I set out 
on the morning of the third for Porto dos Caxhes, where 
I arrived at two o'clock, after a journey of thirty miles, 
and was delayed some time, as the river was crowded 
with vessels, laden with ship-timber, for the capital. As 
soon as the navigation became sufficiently open, I em- 
barked in a large boat, of about ten tons burthen, and 
rowing all night to the mouth of the river, sailed with a 
land wind, and arrived at Rio de Janeiro about noon. 
My first care was to inform His Excellency the Minis- 
ter of my return, after which I employed two days in 
drawing up my journal for his inspection. He received 
it in the handsomest manner, and laid it before H is Royal 
Highness, who was pleased to signify, that my des- 
cription of the country, through which I had travelled, 
merited his approbation. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



145 



CHAPTER X. 

Permission obtained to visit the Diamond Mines. — Ac- 
count of a pretended Diamond presented to the Prince 
Regent. — Journey to Villa Rica. 

AF T E R I had thoroughly recovered from the fa- 
tigues of my late journey, I solicited His Royal 
Highness for permission to go and explore the diamond 
mines of Serra do Frio. This favour had never as yet 
been granted to a foreigner, nor had any Portugueze 
been permitted to visit the district where the works are 
situated, except on business relative to them, and even 
then, under restrictions which rendered it impossible to 
acquire the means of giving an adequate description of 
them to the public. Through the kind mediation of 
the Conde de Linhares, the permission was granted, and 
my passports and letters of recommendation were speedily 
made out. Lord Strangford used his influence to further 
my undertaking, and it was through his goodness, in 
recommending me that I obtained admission to the ar- 
chives, for the purpose of examining all the manuscript 
maps, and of copying from any of them, whatever might 
be necessary to guide me in my route. It may here be 
proper to observe, that the most eligible mode of travel- 
ling in the interior of Brazil, especially on such an excur- 
sion as I had undertaken, is to procure orders from the 
government, and an escort of soldiers, who have a right, 
under such orders, to require proper relays of mules, 
from all persons who reside on, or near the road. The 
Conde de Linhares intimated to me, that I might select 
any two soldiers I thought proper, and while I was de- 
liberating on the choice, a singular occurrence took place, 
which was the means of furnishing me with two men, 
of the corps of miners, who were appointed to attend 
me, under an injunction on the part of His Excellency, 
that their future promotion would depend entirelv, on 

T 



146 



TRAVELS IN THE 



the report which I should give of their conduct after 
my return. I am happy to say that their services me- 
rited every commendation. 

The occurrence to which I allude was this : — A free 
negro of Villa do Principe, about nine hundred miles 
distant, had the assurance to write a letter to the Prince 
Regent, announcing that he possessed an amazingly 
large diamond, which he had received from a deceased 
friend some years ago, and which he begged he might 
have the honour to present to His Royal Highness in 
person. As the magnitude which this poor fellow as- 
cribed to his diamond, was such as to raise imagination 
to its highest pitch, an order was immediately dispatched 
to me commander of Villa do Principe, to send him 
forthwith to Rio de Janeiro; he was accommodated with 
a conveyance, and escorted by two soldiers. As he 
passed along the road, all who had heard the report, 
hailed him as already honoured with a cross of the order 
of St. Bento, and as sure of being rewarded with the pay 
of a general of brigade. The soldiers also anticipated 
great promotion ; and all persons envied the fortunate 
negro. At length, after a journey, which occupied 
about twenty-eight days, he arrived at the capital, and 
was straightway conveyed to the palace. His happiness 
was now about to be consummated, in a few moments 
the hopes which he had for so many years indulged, 
would be realized, and he should be exalted, from a low, 
and obscure condition, to a state of affluence and distinc- 
tion ; such no doubt were the thoughts which agitated 
him during the moments of suspence. At length he 
was admitted into the presence ; he threw himself at the 
Prince's feet, and delivered his wonderful gem ; His 
Highness was astonished at its magnitude ; a pause en- 
sued; the attendants waited to hear the Prince's opinion, 
and what he said they seconded. A round diamond 
nearly a pound in weight, filled them all with wonder ; 
some ready calculators reckoned the millions it was 
worth ; others found it difficult to numerate the sum at 
which it would be valued, but the general opinion of 
His Kighness's servants was, that the treasury was many 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. ^47 

millions of crowns the richer. The noise which this 
occurrence created among the higher circles, may be 
easily conceived ; the general topic of remark, and won- 
der was the negro's offering. It was shewn to the 
ministers, among whom an apprehension, and even a 
doubt, was expressed that a substance so large and 
round, might not prove a real diamond ; they, however, 
sent it to the treasury under a guard, and it was lodged 
in the deposit of the jewel-room. 

On the next day, the Conde de Linhares sent for me, 
and related all the circumstances, which had come to his 
knowledge respecting this famous jewel, adding, in a 
low tone of voice, that he had his doubts about its prov- 
ing a genuine diamond. His Excellency directed me 
to attend at his office in a few hours, when letters from 
himself and the other ministers to the Treasury should 
be given me,* for permission to see this invaluable gem, 
in order to determine what it really was. Readily ac- 
cepting a charge of so interesting a nature, I prepared 
myself, and attended at the hour appointed, when I 
received the letters, which I presented at the Treasury 
to an officer in waiting. I was led through several apart- 
ments, in which much business seemed to be transacting, 
to the grand chamber, where presided the treasurer, 
attended bv his secretaries. Having rav letters in his 
hand, he entered into some conversation with me rela- 
tive to the subject ; I was then shewn through other 
grand apartments, hung with scarlet and gold, and orna- 
mented with figures as large as life, representing justice; 
holding the balance. In the inner room, to which we 
were conducted, there were several strong chests, with 
three locks each, the keys of which were kept by three 
different officers, who were all required to be present at 
the opening. One of these chests being unlocked, an 
elegant little cabinet was taken out, from which the 
treasurer took the gem, and in great form presented it 



* No person can be permitted to see the diamonds in the Treasury with- 
out a joint order from the ministers to that effect. 



148 



TRAVELS IN THE 



to me. Its value sunk at the first sight, for before I 
touched it, I was convinced that it was a rounded piece 
of crystal. It was about an inch and a half in diameter. 
On examining it, I told the governor it was not a dia- 
mond, and to convince him I took a diamond of five or 
six carats, and with it cut a very deep nick in the stone. 
This was proof positive ; a certificate was accordingly 
made out, stating, that it was an inferior substance of 
little or no value, which I signed. 

Omer boxes were now unlocked, from one of which 
they shewed me two large slabs of diamond, each a full 
inch on the superficies, and about the eighth of an inch 
in thickness, of a very bad brown colour. When found, 
they formed one entire piece, which, being amorphous, 
was not known to be a diamond, until the administrator 
or chief of the working party, after keeping it by him 
many days, had recourse to the old experiment, of 
placing it on a hard stone, and striking it with a ham- 
mer. The result of this experiment is, that if the sub- 
stance resist the blow, or separate in laminae, it must be 
a diamond ; the latter was the case in the present instance, 
and the man having thus made two diamonds from one, 
transmitted them to the intendant. 

The river Abaite, from whence these pieces came, has 
produced one of an octaedral form, which weighs seven - 
eighths of an ounce Troy, and is perhaps the largest dia- 
mond in the world. It was found about twelve years 
ago, by three men who were under sentence of banish- 
ment for high crimes ; but on presenting this valuable 
gem to the then Viceroy, they were pardoned and re- 
warded. It is now in the private possession of the 
Prince Regent. 

o 

I was afterwards favoured with a sight of the remain- 
ing diamonds in the Treasury ; they appeared to be in 
quantity, about four or five thousand carats. The largest 
did not generally exceed eight carats, except one of a 
fine octaedral form, full seventeen. Among the few 
coloured diamonds, one of the smallest, was a beautiful 
pink, one a fine blue, and several of a green tinge ; the 
yellow were the most common and least esteemed. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



149 



Having now finished my business, I took my leave 
of the treasurer, with thanks for his polite attention, and 
on my return home wrote a letter to the Conde de Lin- 
hares, stating the result of my visit. It was no agreea- 
ble task for a stranger to have to announce that a sub- 
stance, which had been considered as an inestimable 
addition to the treasures of the state, was in reality, 
though singular in its appearance, of very trifling value, 
and this too in a letter which was to be laid before the 
Prince. His Highness, however, was prepared for the 
intelligence, and was too noble-minded to manifest any 
chagrin at the disappointment. The poor negro who 
had presented it was of course deeply afflicted by this 
unwelcome news ; instead of being accompanied home 
by an escort, he had to find his way thither as he could, 
and would, no doubt, have to encounter the ridicule and 
contempt, of those who had of late congratulated him on 
his good fortune. 

When I had nearly completed my preparations for 
the journey, Mr. Goodall, a most respectable merchant, 
expressed a desire to accompany me to Villa Rica, 
which I readily acceded to, as he was a most agreeable 
companion. Lord Strangford having procured him 
passports from the ministers, he was enabled to join me 
without delay. On the 17th of August 1809, we set out 
on a journey which no Englishman had ever before un- 
dertaken, nor had any ever yet been permitted to pass, 
the barrier of alpine mountains that stretch along the 
coast. 

Having embarked in a large market-boat with our 
retinue, which consisted of the two soldiers before-men- 
tioned, and my servant, a most trusty negro-boy, we 
made sail at mid-day with a sea-breeze, and run down 
the bay about six leagues, where we passed the island 
of Governador and various others, one of which was 
the beautiful Cocoa-nut island. Proceeding along the 
strait, formed by' it and another of similar extent, we 
crossed a fine open bay, and arrived at the mouth of 
the Moremim, a picturesque river which presents in its 
serpentine course, a great variety of beautiful scenery, 



150 



TRAVELS IN THE 



It was now sun- set ; the weather was mild and serene, 
and we paused awhile to enjoy one of the finest rural 
prospects which we had ever seen in Brazil — a fine ro- 
mantic fore-ground, enriched by the vivid foliage of the 
woods on the banks of the stream, and contrasted by 
the bold outline of the mountains, in the distance, among 
which we noticed that singular chain of perpendicular 
rocks, called the Organ-pipe mountains, from their re- 
semblance in form and position to the front of the instru- 
ment alluded to. Having advanced two leagues up the 
river we arrived at a village on its margin, called Porto 
da Estrella, a place of great stir and bustle, on account 
of the. hourly arrival of numerous droves of mules laden 
with produce from the interior. Here are some poor 
dwellings, and a number of large storehouses for the re- 
ception of the produce. The muleteers, being provided 
with bedding and cooking utensils, never leave their 
cattle, so that good inns are to them unnecessary. We 
were shewn into the best in the place, which was as 
dirty and inconvenient as can possibly be imagined. I 
shall forbear to detail the discomforts of the night, and 
merely observe, that they were such as to make us early 
stirrers in the morning. Our soldiers procured us mules, 
but owing to the great bustle of loading and unloading, 
we were not in travelling order until ten-o'clock. We 
now proceeded about three leagues along the low land, 
having the range of mountains on our left, and passing 
the village of Piadade entered on a beautiful plain at 
their base. We stopped at a house, at which the Prince 
Regent had passed three nights for the benefit of the 
air ; but not being able to procure refreshment there, 
we passed on, and began our ascent along an excellent 
paved road, extending five miles on a very steep eleva- 
tion along the sides, and over the ridges of the moun- 
tains. Having rested awhile at the half-way house, 
which we had been near an hour in gaining, we toiled 
on, relieving ourselves at times by turning to take a 
view of Rio de Janeiro, and the bay, which from this 
lofty eminence appeared to great advantage. With 
some difficulty we reached the summit, which, as I 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



151 



supposed, is four thousand feet above the level of the 
sea ; the atmosphere was at least ten degrees colder than 
on the plain. 

Our next halting place was a small village called 
Corgo Seco, situated in a most rugged and uneven dis- 
trict, with not half an acre of level ground in any part 
of its vicinity. Having taken some refreshment here, 
we proceeded to Belmonte, a beautiful spot, situated by 
the edge of a rapid stream, which washes the base of 
an immense mountain of granite on the left. We jour- 
neyed along this stream until we reached a station called 
Padre Correo, from the name of its owner. It consists 
of a house and chapel, with a handsome area in front. 
The father maintains a large establishment of negroes, 
many of whom are employed in beating out mules'" 
shoes from the cool Swedish iron, after they have been 
forged into form. For these articles there is a conside- 
rable demand, as the unwrought material pays no duty 
on this side the river Paraiba, while on the other it is 
taxed full 100 per cent., which is also the case with salt. 
The great consumption of these necessary articles has 
probably induced Government to lay these heavy duties 
upon them, but certainly every principle of good policy 
furnishes an argument against the measure. Padre 
Correo received us very hospitably, afforded us an asy- 
lum for the night, and assisted us in regulating our 
baggage by supplying a pair of cane panniers for one 
of the mules, which proved very serviceable. Before 
sun-rise we were awakened by the clatter of hammers 
in the forges ; the weather was dewy, and so cold that 
my thermometer was down at 46°. We passed some 
time in viewing the garden, which was in tolerable 
order, and contained some fine peach trees in blossom. 
Our host informed us, that he had a good plantation a 
few miles distant, but his chief concern was the selling 
of corn, and shoes for the use of the mules. 

Leaving this station, we skirted the Piabunha, a river 
abounding in falls, which flows into the Paraiba. Among 
the hills and dales which we traversed, we at times ob- 
served farm-houses and plantations ; but the road, far- 



152 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ther on, was quite confined by continual wood-scenery. 
After proceeding about twenty miles we reached Za- 
bolla, a tolerable establishment, consisting of a house of 
two stories, a small chapel, and a sugar-engine, in an 
unfinished state, situated in the bottom of a valley. The 
owner, Captain Jose Antonio Barbosa, was a Portu- 
gueze of the old school ; he seemed much vexed that 
His Royal Highness had permitted strangers to travel 
the country, and treated us with a constrained civility, 
which shewed that he thought we were come about no 
good. His conversation ran continually against the 
operations of Government in laying taxes upon rum, 
and other commodities ; and though he tasted the 
sweets of office, being part-renter of the lucrative ferry 
of Paraiba, which post he obtained through the interest 
of a very worthy gentleman in Rio de Janeiro, yet he 
had all the acerbity of a disappointed place-hunter. 
His self-interested and narrow-minded views were but 
too plainly directed to one object, monopoly ; the mere 
mention of the Prince Regent's liberality in permitting 
strangers to reside in Brazil, appeared to torture him, 
and in short, so much of the snarler did he display 
while discussing this topic, that no character could have 
more forcibly reminded us of the dog in the manger. 
It is, however, but fair to add, that while indulging in 
-severe reflections on strangers, he did not forget the 
duties of hospitality : before we went to rest, he invited 
us to partake of a family supper, consisting of a boiled 
duck smothered in rice, and a stewed pullet, to which 
sat down eight people, including ourselves. Having 
thanked our host for his kindness, we retired to the 
apartments allotted to us. My bed was so uneasy that 
I was obliged to sit up during most of the night, having 
no alternative, for as the clay floor was neither boarded 
nor paved, I could not venture to throw the bed-clothes 
upon it, and sleep there. Never did mortal hail day- 
break with greater satisfaction ; but my agreeable feel- 
ings were soon damped by one of those little vexatious 
accidents which in some states of mind are more hard 
to bear than real misfortunes. I had placed my ther- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. J 53 

mometer in a wind-door or air-hole (for the aperture 
was not glazed ;) a stupid fellow, in fastening the bridle 
of a mule to one of the bars, threw down the instru- 
ment and broke it. Luckily I had another, therefore 
the loss was not so grievous. 

Our soldiers having, with their wonted alacrity, pro- 
vided mules, we set out at an early hour, and entered 
upon a much more level road than that of the preced- 
ing day. We passed along several valleys, the surface 
of which presented clay and decomposed granite, in 
some places more ferruginous than in others. There 
are numerous sheds all the way for the refreshment of 
travellers, and their cattle. This day's journey being 
only sixteen miles, we soon completed it, arriving 
about noon at the ferry of Paraibuna. This river, 
though as wide as the Thames at Westminster, is un* 
navigable, by reason of the large rocks, which impede 
its course. The ferry-boat arriving, we got into it with 
all our mules, and were conveyed with oars and setting 
poles to the other side, where we found a register for 
the examination of passengers, their passports, and pro- 
perty. The place is guarded by a few old soldiers, 
under the command of a lieutenant, who, though in ill 
health, shewed us every attention. Our soldiers got us a 
dinner cooked at a vend^% kept by a young man originally 
from Oporto ; we took tea and supped with the com- 
mandant, who assigned to us an apartment in the 
Register. He was very civil, and seemed highly pleas- 
ed to see us, frequently exclaiming, " Os Ingleses son 
grande gente." (the English are a great nation.) We 
were gratified by this, and other national compliments 
which he paid us, and not less so by the respect which 
every one who came to visit us, testified for our country, 



* This name is given to what we should call a huckster's shop, where va- 
rious articles, such as liquors, Indian corn, and sometimes sugar, are sold. 
Though they profess to answer the purpose of inns, they are destitute of 
conveniences ; travellers who carry their beds and cooking utensils with 
them, generally prefer lodging in a rancho or astallage. Shelter from rain, 
and night air, is the only convenience which a lodging in these districts can 
be expected to afford. 

u 



154 



TRAVELS IN THE 



as being in alliance with a Prince to whom they were 
enthusiastically devoted. 

The Register is a substantial edifice of wood, built on 
posts to preserve it from the overflows of the river, 
which frequently inundate the sandy flat on which it 
stands. It contains a few rooms, which serve as bar- 
racks for the guards, and has a handsome gallery front- 
ing the ferry. The station is low, and in summer is 
said to be very hot and unhealthy ; a circumstance 
which, joined to the indolence and poverty of the inha- 
bitants, may sufficiently account for the general appear- 
ance of debility observable among them. The little 
employment they have, arises chiefly from the passen- 
gers, who Frequent this great thoroughfare, and from the 
numerous troops of mules, which are continually arriv- 
ing on their way to, as well as from, the interior. The 
barges of the ferry are as fine vessels, as any I ever saw 
used for the purpose ; and indeed they ought to be, for 
a considerable toll is paid, not only for every mule, or 
other beast of burden, but for every person crossing the 
river. The annual amount collected yields, no doubt, 
a handsome profit to the renters ; but it might be con- 
siderably augmented if a regular road were opened to 
Canta Gallo, v/hich is only eighteen leagues distant. 

Being informed that our next day's journey would be 
an arduous one, on account of the hilly district, through 
which we should have to pass, we retired to rest be- 
times, and were stirring at an early hour We mount- 
ed fresh mules, and proceeded along a good road, 
through a rugged and thinly peopled district ; in the 
course of five leagues, we passed over seven very high 
granite mountains, and eight smaller ones, and at 1 ngth 
reached the ferry of the Paraiba, a river considerably 
larger than the Paraibuna. At the Register belonging 
to it, which is more extensive and better guarded than 
the former, all goods are examined and weighed, pay* 
ing duty according to their weight, whatever be their 
kind, quality, or value. This regulation bears very 
unequally upon different articles; salt, for instance, 
pays nearly cent, per cent., iron, and lead, about the 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



155 



same ; while woollens, cottons, and other light goods 
do not, on an average, exceed eight or ten per cent. 

The commandant of the Register offered us every 
assistance, and was kind enough to provide us a !' sh 
mule for our baggage. The short time we stayed here, 
did not allow much leisure for observation ; and, indeed, 
there was little of novelty to observe- The situation 
of the Register is pleasant ; the country around i^ well 
wooded and fertile, tiiough mountainous. The river is 
almost destitute of fish. 

We proceeded about a league and a half further, 
through thick woods, and arrived at a place named 
Rosina de Negra, where we halted for the night. Our 
next day's journey presented the same varieties of hill 
and ravine, as those we had already passed. In one 
part of the road we observed a kind ot b it-racks, con- 
sisting of an astallage, and some ranchos, or huts, where 
an officer and about twenty horse-soldiers are stationed ; 
they patrole the road, and are authorised to stop tra- 
vellers, and make the strictest search of those whom 
they suspect of having gold-dust, or diamonds conceal 
ed. Proceeding two leagues, we arrived at the Re- 
gister of Matthias Barbosa, situated in the midst of an 
almost impervious wood, it was built about sixty or 
seventy years ago, by the gentleman whose name it 
bears, and who was an ancestor of the noble familv of 
Sousa. 

This Register is a large oblong building, with two 
great doors at each end, through which all travellers, 
with their mules, are required to pass. On entering, 
they stop, and deliver their passports to a soldier for 
examination by the commander, who, if he judges that 
a correct account is given of the property, suffers them 
to proceed : but if any grounds of suspicion occur, the 
mules are unloaded, and all the contents of their cargoes 
are examined with the strictest scrutiny. In these 
examinations, it not unfrequently happens, that a negro 
has been suspected of swallowing a diamond ; in which 
case, he is shut up in a bare room until such time as 
the truth can be proved. The command of this station 



156 



TRAVELS IN THE 



is entrusted to a major. The inner part of the build- 
ing consists of apartments for the officers, ranchos for 
the soldiers, cells for the confinement of suspected per- 
sons, and stabling for the mules. In the yard there 
are numerous posts, to which the cattle are tied while 
loading or unloading. There is also a vend for the 
accommodation of travellers. 

Leaving this place, we proceeded through an exten- 
sive tract of wood, in which we occasionally observed 
a few deer, but no birds, except now and then a green 
parrot or a wood-pecker. The road, as far as the eye 
eouid reach, was bounded on each hand by close con- 
tinuous thicket, and rarely enlivened by traces of ha- 
bitation. Those persons who live by the way-side, 
are commonly of the lowest order of people, who settle 
there with the view of selling refreshments to travellers, 
and corn for the mules ; they are in general an idle, 
gossipping race : the more respectable classes reside 
at a distance from the public road. 

We arrived about four in the evening at a farm- 
house called Madeiras, belonging to Captain Jose Pinto 
de Souza. The situation is cold and salubrious, the 
vicinity well- watered, and abounding in line tracts of 
arable and pasture land, but deplorably neglected. The 
owner seemed to prefer ease, with inconvenience, to 
labour, with comfort ; and, satisfied with the spon- 
taneous bounty of nature, cared little about improving 
it by industry. The house itself was miserably out of 
repair : its walls, which consisted of lattice- work, plas- 
tered with clay, were full of holes and crevices, and its 
roof was in a very crazy, and shattered condition. We 
fared but poorly, and passed a very indifferent night ; 
often reflecting on the apathy and listless indolence of 
the people : who, thought we, in a cold climate would 
live in a dwelling full of cracks, and air holes, when a 
few dashes of mud might render it comparatively com- 
fortabk ! 

From this place, which is an hundred miles, from 
Porto da Estreila, we continued our route, next day- 
over a chain of mountains, among which we encoun- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



157 



tered other falls of the Paraiba nearer its source, and, 
traversing a tract of close wood-land, arrived at a sta- 
tion called the Fazenda do Juez de Fuera. Here we 
procured fresh mules, and proceeded for a considerable 
distance on the ascent, when we met with two planters 
from Minas Novas, who were going to Rio de Janeiro 
with forty -six mules loaded with cotton, packed in raw 
hides, each beast carrying two packages. They had 
been nearly three months on the road. We availed 
ourselves of their kind offers to carry intelligence to 
our friends in the capital, and gave them letters for that 
purpose. 

The remainder of our day's journey afforded few in- 
cidents worth notice. We observed several pines of a 
singular species, which yielded abundance of resin. In 
one part of the road, I shot a most beautiful bird, the 
name of which I could not learn, but was informed that 
it flew about much in the night. In another part, we 
noticed a beast of prey, which was crossing the road 
before us, and lied at our approach. I killed a small 
water-snake, with two fins near its vent. 

We arrived towards evening at the Fazenda of An- 
tonio Ferrera, formerly a good house, but now almost 
in ruins. The owner was not at home ; but his old 
negro-servants provided as handsomely for us, as we 
could have expected them to do, if he had been pre- 
sent. We made a tolerable supper of stewed fowls, with 
the addition of a fine wild turkey, which I had killed 
in the vicinity. I may here observe, that a traveller in 
this country should neglect no opportunity of providing 
for himself, with his gun, as he is never certain of pala- 
table fare at the places where he alights. 

The surface of the country is in general good strong 
day ; all the rocks are of primitive granite, in the com- 
position of which hornblende predominates. We this 
day passed the site of the first gold -washing, which is 
very small, and has been many years abandoned. The 
rivulets have a great deal of oxide of iron in small 
grains mixed with the sand in their eddies. In some 
places the granite is in a decomposing state, and there 



158 



TRAVELS IN THE 



are large nodules of what the Germans call grunstein, 
which appear not unlike basalt. The air in these ele- 
vated districts is fresh and cool, except from two to 
four o'clock in the afternoon, when I found it rather 
hot. In the evening, while amusing ourselves with 
shooting, we observed a man in a friar's habit, with a 
box bearing a picture of the Virgin, fastened to his 
waist by a belt. His face was overgrown with hair, 
and his whole appearance exceedingly wild and un- 
couth. On inquiry, we were informed that this ex- 
traordinary figure was a hermit ; and that he had em- 
braced this austere w ay of life by way of doing penance 
for some great crime. 

Having pursued our diversion while day -light lasted, 
we returned to the house, where, for the first time since 
our departure from Rio, we partook of a comfortable 
meal, and regaled ourselves with a bottle of excellent 
madeira, which my worthy companion, by good for- 
tune, had brought with him. 

We set out next day by sun-rise, and proceeded 
some miles along a tolerable road. The vallies as we 
advanced were wider, and more easy of cultivation, 
but the mountains were excessively steep. On even 
ground our general pace was three or four miles an 
hour, but on the acclivities we proceeded slowly, and 
were obliged to observe every step of our mules, and 
to balance ourselves accordingly. This action of the 
body produces no perceptible consequences for the first 
few days, but afterwards it begins to torture the loins 
with a species of lumbago. 

After a journey of twmty-eight miles, which occu- 
pied nine hours, we found ourselves at six in the 
evening, at a small farm-house called Fazenda de Dona 
Clara and Dona Maria. These two good ladies hon- 
oured us with a more polite reception, than we had 
hitherto experienced on the journey. It being the 
festival of St, Bartholomew, a great holiday among the 
Brazilians, they had prepared a more sumptuous dinner 
than usual, of which they kindly invited us to partake, 
W e were the more sensible of this act of hospitality, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



159 



because it evidently proceeded from sincere good- will ; 
ai-d, like the widow's mite, derived additional merit 
from the small ness of the store which supplied the 
means of performing it. Their establishment seemed 
barely provided with necessaries ; and the house in 
which they lived, was ill built, and scantily furnished. 
We could not but ^mile at the earnestness with which 
one of these worthy ladies complained of the hardness 
of the times ; they paid, she observed, a moidore every 
three years in taxes. How happy, thought we, would 
our English spinsters of slender incomes deem them- 
selves, in being so lightly assessed ! 

We passed the evening tolerably, having provided 
ourselves with candles, which we found very necessa- 
ry, both here and in other pUces on the ro id ; for the 
rooms in general are lighted only by a glimmering 
lamp, which rather augments than diminishes their me- 
lancholy gloom. 

In the morning we were informed that the mules 
which had been provided for us over-night, were taken 
away from the stable. This so enraged our soldier, 
that he immediately rode in quest of them, brought 
them back, and pressed others for our service. We 
here saw the convenience of travelling under official 
orders : had we not been so provided, we might have 
been exposed to a most vexatious delay. These mili- 
tary requisitions of cattle may be considered by the 
owner as a grievance ; but he generally indemnifies 
himself by high charges to other travellers, and by im- 
positions in the way of trade. 

Being now within the province of Minas Geraes, (a 
country lamed at Rio de Janeiro for its excellent 
cheese,) I expected to see some improvement in the 
condition of the country, — some establishment worthy 
of being called a farm, — some dwelling, constructed 
not merely for shelter, but for comfort. 1 hoped to re- 
mark among the inhabitants that air of health and ani- 
mation, which springs from the invigorating occupa- 
tions, and cheering pursuits of husbandry ; but no =>uch 
pleasing change was perceptible : the same want oi ex- 



160 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ertion prevailed here as in other parts of the country : 
the people seemed to act as if the tenure by which they 
held their lands was about to be abolished ; all around 
them had the appearance of make-shift: their old 
houses, fast hastening to decay, bore no marks of re- 
pair about them : wherever a bit of garden- ground was 
inclosed, it appeared over-run with weeds ; where cof- 
fee-trees, planted in former years, still existed, the pre- 
sent occupiers were too indolent to gather the fruit : no 
inclosures were made for pasturage ; a few goats sup- 
plied the little milk that was consumed ; and cows'- 
milk was rarely to be procured. On observing these 
deplorable consequences of the apathy of the inhabit- 
ants, I could not but reflect on the advantages which 
might accrue, from the introduction of the English 
system of agriculture among them. The example of a 
single farm, conducted on that system might go far 
towards rousing the people from their slothful state ; 
and, when they once felt their faculties awakened, they 
would be ashamed to lounge about as they now do, 
under an old great coat, for days together, burthens to 
themselves, and objects of contempt to all strangers 
who see them. 

The next place we visited, after quitting the resi- 
dence of these old ladies, offered every requisite for 
making the experiment above alluded to. It was a fa- 
zenda called Mantegera, situated in the largest plain we 
had hitherto traversed, consisting of rich land watered 
by numerous streams. The establishment was in a fit 
state to begin with : the house was falling to ruin, and 
the grounds about it were over-run with weeds and 
brush-wood. What more desirable situation, exclaimed 
I to my companion, could an English farmer select I 
Here cattle of every description are cheap ; cows and 
oxen at two years old may be purchased at 30s. or 40s. 
per head ; excellent horses from 60s. to 81. each ; and 
i>igs, poultry, and other live-stock, at a price too trifling 
to mention. Here is land, which, under the influence 
of this genial climate, is capable of yielding two- hun- 
dred-fold ; here is wood in abundance for every pur- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



161 



pose ; excellent clay for making bricks ; and water at 
command. Yet all these advantages are lost to the pre- 
sent occupiers, who consider them too cheap to be 
Valuable ; and, perpetually hankering after the precious 
minerals, seem to think that the only standard for esti- 
mating the gifts of nature, is the difficulty of obtaining 
them. 

Having passed the hamlet of St. Sebastian's, we ar- 
rived late in the evening at Bordo do Campo, a vil- 
lage consisting of about twenty houses, the best of 
which is that of Captain Rodrigo de Lima, who, on 
learning our situation, kindly took us in for the night. 
While supper was preparing, we had some conversa- 
tion with him respecting the agriculture and produce 
of the neighbourhood, in the course of which he paid 
much attention to our observations, and promised next 
day to shew us the system he pursued. At the repast, 
which was speedily announced, he introduced us to his 
wife and daughter, and a lady who was then on a visit 
to them. This was an unexpected act of politeness, 
and one which had never yet been exercised towards 
us by any mastei of a family, in the whole course of 
our journey. The few females we occasionally saw at 
any former place, generally secluded themselves on our 
arrival and during our stay ; and, when they came near 
us by chance, they commonly ran away in as much 
apparent alarm as if they had been accustomed to be 
frightened at the name of an Englishman. The ladies 
appeared in very neat dresses of English manufacture, 
with a profusion of gold chains, about their necks, 
which are always worn on receiving or paying visits. 
Their conversation was gay and enlivening ; they were 
very inquisitive respecting the costume of English 
women, and seemed quite astonished at hearing that 
they wore caps, it being never the custom among the 
Brazilian females to cover their heads until advanced 
in years. They ornament their hair with combs, fre- 
quently of gold, and very richly wrought. Wine was 
introduced, of which the ladies could not be prevailed 
®n to partake : they gave our healths by putting the 



162 



TRAVELS IN THE 



glass to their lips. After supper, the table was covered 
with delicious sweet- meats ; when, being desirous of 
paying the lady of the house a compliment, I spoke 
highly of their excellence, and presumed that the fruits 
were preserved under her immediate direction ; but she 
assured me to the contrary, and observed that her ne- 
gro did all that sort of domestic work* I perceived, or 
imagined, that she was rather offended at my remark, 
and therefore apologized by saying, that it was not 
uncommon for the ladies in England to interest them- 
selves personally, in the concerns of housewifery. The 
remainder of the evening passed off very agreeably. 

On looking out of my chamber-window the follow- 
ing morning, I was surprised to see two small and very 
neat inclosures, in one of which flax was growing, and 
in the other wheat. The latter, which apparently had 
been sown about seven weeks, was very poor and un- 
promising : the ground had too much water, and seem- 
ed of late to have been flooded. Our host regaled us 
with a breakfast of stewed fowl, excellent coffee and 
milk, and a dish of feijones, with mandioca and but- 
tered toast ; after which he conducted us to his inclo- 
sures. 

The flax was very healthful and strong : he told us 
he cut * it three or four times a year, and that it was 
dressed, spun, and woven in his own house. He grew 
but little, having occasion for no more than what an- 
swered his domestic purposes. The wheat, he told us, 
was blighted. He shewed us a sample of last year's 
growth, which was very poor, coarse, and foul. The 
mills are of similar construction to those used at Canta 
Gallo, but I did not observe a pair of stones fit for the 
grinding of wheat. 

I now expressed a wish to see his dairy, which the 
good gentleman immediately complied with. Instead 



* In this country the practice of cutting flax is attended with great suc- 
cess, and is preferred to that of pulling- it, which prevails elsewhere. The 
fibres, though cut, are considered sufficiently long to be spun and made into 
good common linen. The old roots produce fresh shoots incredibly soon. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



163 



of an apartment, such as I expected to find, fitted up 
and kept in order for that sole purpose, I was shewn 
into a kind of dirty store-room, the smell of which was 
intolerable. The present, I was told, was not the time 
for making cheese, as the cows gave milk only fa the 
rainy season, I begged to see the implements used in 
the process ; and on examining them found* to my ut- 
ter astonishment, that neither the vats nor cloths had 
been washed since they were last used, and the milk- 
pails, &c. were in the same condition. This sufficient- 
ly accounted for the offensive smell which I had per- 
ceived on entering the place. When I asked to see 
the utensil used for making butter, an apology was 
made by stating that it was not in the way : they had 
observed my disgust at the other vessels, and probably 
thought that this was equally unfit to be inspected. I did 
all in my power to inform our worthy host of the man- 
ner in which English dairies were conducted, and gave 
him several directions which he wrote down, but seem- 
ed quite indifferent about adopting them. On enqui- 
ry, I found that no provision was made for the cows ; 
there were no houses erected for milking, and that ope- 
ration was frequently neglected, and at all times badly 
performed. 

The premises bore traces of the industry and taste 
of the former occupants : there was a mud- wall round 
them, encompassing about an acre of ground, which, 
when perfect, must have given the whole a retired, and 
comfortable appearance ; but it was now partly broken 
down and in ruins. The steps leading to the front 
door of the dwelling were of lapis ollaris, or pot-stone, 
of which substance there is a stratum in the vicinity. 

Our cattle being ready, we mounted about eleven 
in the forenoon, returning thanks to our host, and offer- 
ing to pay for the accommodations we had met with ; 
but the only compensation he required was a promise 
on our part, to pass a day or' two with him on our re- 
turn. The ladies, who had not appeared at breakfast, 
came out upon the gallery, and very pleasingly and 
politely wished us a good journey. 



164 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Resuming our route, we passed several small farms, 
and observed that the blight had destroyed all their 
bananas, and withered their coffee-trees. My ther- 
mometer at the time was not lower than 52°, but the 
damage had been done some days before, by a sharp 
southerly wind, In some parts of the road there were 
very small inclosures of flax and rye. The country 
now appeared more open, and the wood- scenery lay at 
a greater distance. We rode by the side of a barren 
mountain, which was covered to an extent of three 
miles with quartz, and produced little or no herbage, 
except a species of wiry, or windle-grass, which was 
much parched by the sun. We descended a declivity 
tremenduously steep, and full a mile in length, at the 
bottom of which, we crossed the Rio das Mortes, here 
a small rivulet. On its further bank is an astallage, or 
inn, called Registro Velho, (Old Register) being origin- 
ally built as a searching-office, to prevent the smug- 
gling of gold. Proceeding hence, the eye is again re- 
lieved from confined wood- scenery by the prospect of 
a grand amphitheatre of mountains, which are bound- 
ed by others of amazing magnitude, covered with for- 
ests. On the side of one hill, which we skirted ob- 
liquely, I observed several crystallized masses, which, 
on examination, proved to be clusters of cubes, of fer- 
ruginous quartz, of a dark -brown colour. We shortly 
afterwards arrived at a village called Barbasinas, situat- 
ed on a commanding eminence, in a most fertile coun- 
try, and apparently containing about two hundred 
dwelling-houses. While we stopped to take some re- 
freshment, numbers of the inhabitants came to look at 
us, having never before seen Englishmen, and being 
on the rack of curiosity to know the objects of our 
journey. At this place two great roads from the min- 
ing country unite, and form the main road to Rio de 
Janeiro. That to the westward leads from St. Joao del 
Rev, Sebara, and Cuiaba ; the other from Villa Rica, 
Mariana, Villa do Principe, Tejuco, Minas Novas, &c. 
Being a sort of half-way station to the capital, and the 
last open place on the road, it is much frequented by 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



165 



people from various parts of the interior, and has a con- 
siderable traffic in various articles, particularly baizes, 
cotton goods, salt, and iron. Many of the shops were 
well stocked with English manufactures. The place 
is governed by an Ouvidor, or justice of the peace, and 
a military officer. In its neighbourhood there is a quar- 
ry of soft, whitish granite, from which mill- stones are 
made ; but, from the specimens I saw of it, the mate- 
rial must be very unfit for such a purpose. 

We arrived, about four in the evening, at a poor 
place called Resequinha, the owner of which made 
every provision for us, which his scanty means afford- 
ed. He dispatched a negro to gather grass for the 
mules, which is here incredibly scarce ; and killed us 
a fowl or two for dinner. The time previous to that 
meal hung heavy on our hands ; there were no birds 
to afford us an hour's shooting, and we had no source 
of diversion, except that which the lively fancy, and 
inexhaustible humour of my companion afforded. We 
dined heartily about seven o'clock on stewed fowls and 
mandioca, which fully supplied the want of bread. 
That article is so extremely scarce in these parts, that 
even the populous village of Barbasinas, though situat- 
ed in the richest corn-district in the province, could 
furnish us only one rusk. Being overcome with wea- 
riness, we prepared for rest, One of our beds was 
placed on the table, the other on a dried hide stretched 
upon the clay floor. These were miserable accommo- 
dations ; but sleep knows little distinction between the 
hovel and the palace, and a man thoroughly disposed 
may enjoy it as soundly in one as in the other. So it 
was with my companion ; he was in a profound slum- 
ber, within five minutes after he had lain down, in des- 
pite of the rough materials, of which his pallet was 
composed. Mine prevented me from sleeping, and 
compelled me to sit up during most of the night ; it 
consisted, as well as his, of the leaves of Indian corn 
crammed into a bag, with the mouth tied up ; but the 
carek ss negro who performed that operation, had neg- 
lected to pick out the core, or pith from which the grain 



166 



TRAVELS IN THE 



is rubbed, so that there was no finding an easy posture 
upon it. I sat musing on the absolute wretchedness of 
every thing around. A miserable lamp hung over our 
heads, and threw a dismal glimmer through the apart- 
ment. The floor was uneven, and broken into holes. 
The table, on which we had dined, consisted of one 
large plank, of a quality not discoverable without the 
assistance of a scraper, as it had never been cleaned 
since it was made. There was not a chair, or any thing 
resembling a seat, except an antique bench with a back 
to it, fixed at a distance on one side of the table ; so 
that some of the guests had to take their repast stand- 
ing. The very beasts in the out-houses, if we might 
judge from the healthy condition of those we saw, were 
better provided for than their masters ; whose slothful 
apathy could be matched only, with that of the swine 
they fed. 

We left Resequinha an hour after day- break, and 
entered on some clayey ground which caused our mules 
to come down frequently, as they were unshod. The 
day being Sunday we found some difficulty in procur- 
ing fresh mules, as they were all engaged in taking their 
masters to mass. After proceeding about a league and 
a half we arrived at the fazenda de Gama, consisting 
of a good mansion and some out-buildings. The house, 
which is the residence of a major, stands on an emi- 
nence in a fine open country, beautifully interspersed 
with dumps of trees, and small patches of wood ; but 
wholly uncultivated and destitute of inclosures The 
land appeared much burnt up, and ill supplied with 
water, but the valleys, we were told, abounded in nu- 
merous streams and rivulets. Having stopped at the 
door we were saluted by the voice of a fine motherly- 
looking lady, apparently about forty, who invited us to 
alight, which we readily obeyed, having occasion to 
change our baggage mule. Two young ladies, the 
daughters of the one whom we had first seen, came on 
the gallery to welcome us. As the morning was cool, 
they were covered with purple mantles of baize which 
left only a part of the face exposed, but shewed us suf- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



167 



ficient to prove that the females of this province, here 
called mineras, are above mediocrity in personal charms. 
This opinion was confirmed on entering the house, 
where these ladies appeared to much greater advantage ; 
they were in the bloom of health, rather tall in stature, 
and in their air and gestures extremely graceful. We 
had just entered into conversation when in came our 
sokiier to announce that the baggage mule was loaded, 
and that the day was so far spent, as barely to allow time 
enough to reach the next station before night. This 
honest fellow for the first time on our journey was the 
bearer of unwelcome news. I asked him why he did 
not bring us to this mansion last night, instead of halt- 
ing at the miserable dog-hole of Resequinha. " Ah 
Sir," replied he, " the mules could travel no further." 
" Then you might have told us of this delightful place, 
and we would have walked hither had it been double 
the distance." How much more merrily should we 
have passed the evening, thought I, on observing two 
fine guitars hung up in a closet that was accidentally 
opened. The mother, who now came in, gave us an 
invitation to stop, regretting that her husband, being 
confined by illness to his bed, was unable to pay his 
respects to us in person. We expressed our disap- 
pointment at not being able to avail ourselves of this 
invitation, and again related how ill we had passed the 
night at Resequinha. 4< Yes," observed one of the 
daughters very facetiously, " men alone make very in- 
sipid society ; you would have been much better here, 
would not you ?" Our soldier again came to say that 
tht baggage mule was out of sight, and that we should 
be in clangor of losing our way. The mule, said I, 
may surely for once tall lame to accommodate us, or 
some lucky misfortune may occur to give us a pretext \ 
for prolonging our stay. We were at length obliged to 
yield to the pressing remonstrances of our soldier, and 
took leave of the good lady and her amiable daughters, 
promising to visit them on our return. We pursued 
our journey, with reluctance, over a dreary tract of 
country, passing at intervals through small woods, 



168 



TRAVELS. IN THE 



where we shot a few wood-peckers, here called carpin- 
teros, a name sufficiently characteristic of their peculiar 
habits. The incessant hacking which they make with 
their beaks, may be heard at considerable distance. No 
incident worth mentioning occurred in this day's jour- 
ney, which terminated at Bandera de Coelho, where we 
arrived at sun-set. A more dirty and slovenly place, in 
a finer situation, we never visited. It was with great 
difficulty that my negro-boy procured us a pot of any 
sort, to dress us a fowl, and some beans for supper. 
The kitchen was a mere dirt-hole, blackened with soot 
and smoke above and all around, and covered with mud 
and filth below : the cooking utensil was a pot placed 
on three stones, and heated by a fire of green wood. — 
The owner was very assiduous in helping us, and hear- 
tily desired us to make free. He was reputed to be a 
man of considerable property, which he had accumulat- 
ed by selling corn for the troops of mules, which fre- 
quently stop here, and are generally better accommodated 
than his biped guests. We procured something in the 
form of a supper, and passed the night under the same 
sort of shed, as that which sheltered our cattle, and on 
bedding very little superior in quality to theirs. 

The experience of this night, completed the cata- 
logue of inconveniences, to which we had been expos- 
ed since the commencement of our journey. I would 
advise every traveller who pursues the same route, to 
provide himself with bed and blankets, a stock of tea, 
sugar, candles, liquors, soap, and salt, two kettles and a 
drinking-horn (for in few places will he meet with any 
of these articles,) as well as an umbrella, which can by 
no means be dispensed with. The whole of this equip- 
age is necessary for each person, who travels to make 
observations on the country, and will require at least 
two baggage mules to carry it. 

We set out next morning at six, without breakfast, 
not being able to procure either coffee, or milk ; and 
proceeding six miles through a fine open country, ar- 
rived at a large village called Louza, containing full 
two thousand inhabitants. It is well built, but as I 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



169 



was informed, has much declined from its former conse-* 
quence, which it owed principally to the rich mines in 
its vicinity, now almost exhausted. We procured a 
tolerable breakfast of coffee, and eggs at a vend ; and, 
while we partook of it, were much amused by the 
numbers of inhabitants, who crowded the door in eager 
curiosity to see us, asking a variety of questions of a 
political nature, and forming endless conjectures respect- 
ing the object of our journey. 

Leaving this village about eleven o'clock, we pro* 
ceeded along a range of mountains composed of argilla- 
ceous schistus, and passed a hill covered with micaceous 
iron ore ; in one part of it there was a break that shewed 
the stratum (which appeared perpendicular) of ferruginous 
matter, or probably it was a strong vein which traversed 
the mountain. I was not a little surprised to find that the 
road, for above half a mile, was covered with rich iron-ore* 

We passed a place called Alto de Virginia, where, as 
well as in the vicinity, to a considerable extent, there 
are gold- washings, which bear the general name of La- 
bras de Virginia. I examined the heaps of debris, but 
found in them nothing but rounded quartz, and ferru- 
ginous matter. Journeying half a league further, we 
came to the gold-washing of St. Antonio de Oro Bran- 
co, where hillocks of the same materials abounded ; 
and we soon afterwards entered the poor and almost 
deserted village of the same name, containing about five 
hundred souls* We had an interview with the com- 
mandant, but could obtain nothing in the way of refresh- 
ment ; indeed the few people we saw were so needy, 
that far from being able to supply our wants, they 
seemed to crave all we had to satisfy their own, and 
eyed us as if they expected we had brought them some- 
thing. Glad to get away from this wretched place, we 
continued our journey through a succession of fine val- 
leys, and arrived about four o'clock at the foot of a tre- 
mendous mountain, overhung with clouds. The ascent 
was so steep that, judging it in vain to attempt to ride, 
I dismounted ; our soldier, w T ho was a lighter man than 
myself, exchanged mules with me,, and up we went in 

Y 



170 



TRAVELS IN THE 



a zig-zag direction for half an hour, when we found 
ourselves immersed in a thick cloud, which for some 
time hindered us from seeing our way. We were at 
length able to proceed, and in many parts had to mount 
up ledges nearly two feet perpendicular, which we per- 
formed without alighting, as our saddles were secured 
from slipping off behind, by a strong strap passing 
round the mule's neck. It is considered very unsafe 
to dismount in these ascents, for the animals go much 
less steady when led than when ridden. At seven o'clock 
we reached the summit, where, though night was setting 
in, we found it necessary to rest half an hour, and then 
proceeded a league in the dark without our baggage 
mule, which, being unable to keep pace with us, had 
been left in charge of two of our men and the negro- boy. 
We were under little apprehension for the safety of our 
property, though as we afterwards learnt, the poor ani- 
mal was down above twenty times in the course of the 
ascent. About eight o'clock we reached Alto do Moro, 
our baggage arriving about an hour after. Here we 
halted for the night in one of the best inns we had 
hitherto seen, the hostess of which soon provided us 
with a comfortable supper, of which we partook very 
heartily, and passed an agreeable evening. The good 
order and propriety which reigned in this inn confirmed 
an observation we had often made, that of all houses on 
the road those under the direction of females were man- 
aged with most ability, and certainly afforded the best 
accommodations. I may add, that there prevailed in 
them that evident disposition and wish to oblige, which 
generally makes up for any deficiency, and by appealing 
to a stranger's liberality makes him satisfied with what- 
ever is set before him. 

The land, through which w r e this day passed, ap- 
peared much burnt up, being in general very bare of 
vegetable soil, and having few trees to defend it against 
the heat of the sun. In the mountains we observed 
several slips or breaks, which presented abrupt and sin- 
gular masses lying in all directions like confused heaps 
of architectural ruins, disclosing veins of soft talc, and 



i 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 

some cascalhao poor in gold. The stratum was argilla- 
ceous schistus, very ferruginous, and friable. At the 
bottom of these slips, which appeared to be caused by 
the disrupture of one part of the mountain from the other, 
(probably through the infiltration of water,) there were 
small streams which in rainy weather, swell into torrents, 
and burst through their channels with great velocity. 

The next day, it being our intention to reach Villa 
Rica before night, we set out at an early hour, notwith- 
standing the cold cloudy weather and the heavy dew 
which prevailed. We passed through a bare and uneven 
tract of country, presented similar characteristics to 
those above described. Near a place called Capon, I 
rode down a hill covered with rich iron ore, in such pro- 
fusion that tons might have been gathered from the sur- 
face. Proceeding a short distance farther, we arrived at 
a house, the owner of which, we afterwards understood, 
possessed a topaz -mine in the neighbourhood. The 
mention of a mine of topazes excited my curiosity, as 
it gave me the idea of a vein worked under- ground, and 
containing those substances in the matrix as originally 
formed. On expressing to the owner my desire to see 
the works, he kindly undertook to accompany me to 
the spot. After walking about half a mile up the moun- 
tain just mentioned, I was shewn two breaks or slips, 
in which my guide informed me were the topaz mines. 
We entered one of them, which was in extent little 
short of two acres ; the argillaceous schistus, which 
formed the upper stratum, appeared in a variety of stages, 
the greater part migrating into micaceous schistus. In 
one part I observed two negroes poking in the little soft 
veins, which the slips disclosed, with a piece of rusty 
iron, probably part of an old hoop ; and on enquiring 
what they were about, I was informed they were the 
miners, searching for topazes. I took one of their in- 
struments, and on using it as they did, found these 
veins to contain a very minute micaceous substance ap- 
proaching to earthy talc, also some quartz, and large 
crystals of specular iron ore. I had the good fortune 
to find two or three topazes, which, as they had only 



172 



TRAVELS IN THE 



one pyramid each, and appeared fractured, I judged to 
be out of their original place. It had hitherto been my 
opinion, that all the topazes which I had seen at Rio de 
Janeiro, or elsewhere, and which were of similar form 
to these, had been broken from the matrix by the mi- 
ners ; I now, therefore fully expected to meet with some 
having double pyramids, but to my great disappoint- 
ment all that I found were entirely detached. From a 
great quantity (at least a cart load) of inferior topazes, 
which were afterwards shewn to me in the owner's 
house, (and any number of which I might have taken 
away,) I could not select one with a double pyramid. 
They informed me that sometimes, but very rarely, to- 
pazes had been found in quartz crystals, but even in 
these instances, the quartz appeared fractured and out 
of its original place. * The topazes which were shewn 
me, were very imperfect, and full of flaws. The ne- 
groes employed in these works were superintended by 
two Creolians who received what they found. 

After I had collected a variety of specimens, we re- 
turned to our mules, continued our journey over bleak 
and sterile mountains, through roads covered with dust, 
and arrived about three o'clock in sight of Villa Rica. 
Though the town stands on an eminence rather steep 
and lofty, the approach to it is not noble or striking, 
neither is there any thing in a near view of it, which, 
to the eye of a traveller, corresponds with the grandeur 
of its name. The environs, unlike those of opulent 
towns in general, exhibited few signs of cultivation ; not 
an acre of good pasture was any where to be seen, nor 
an inclosure of any kind. We arrived a little after 
four, and alighted at one of the first houses to the left, 
on entering the town ; it had been recommended to us\ 
as one of the best inns, but we found that in point of 
cleanliness and accommodation, report had greatly over- 
rated it. The owner, being a priest, entrusted the 



* They also informed me that green topazes were sometimes found, which 
I very much doubled. If any substance of that colour, resembling- topaz, did 
■jCcut, it was most probably Eucluse t which may be easily mistaken for it.„ 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



173 



entire management to a mulatto, who acted as if he was 
seidom under the eye of his master. Having ordered 
dinner we waiked into the town for about a mile ; the 
streets were very irregular, and so badly paved, as to 
give us no favourable idea of the opulence of the inha- 
bitants. As night was coming on, and we felt fatigued., 
we postponed delivering our letters until next day, and 
returned to our inn. Our dinner, which was served 
up in as slovenly a manner as we had ever witnessed ? 
even in the poorest rancho on the road, consisted of 
some stewed beef and a fowl. The bread was tolerable., 
but dear. Being little inclined to sit up after our repast, 
we retired early to rest ; our rooms, though destitute 
of almost every appropriate convenience, were better 
than those to which we had of late been accustomed. 

Notwithstanding the fatigue of the journey, which 
heartily disposed me to sleep, my mind was for some 
time occupied in reflecting on the place at which we had 
now arrived, and which had long been the theme of our 
wonder and conjecture. Villa Rica — the rich village ! 
The capital of the province of Minas Geraes, and the 
seat of its Government ; a place which had for many 
years been reputed the richest in Brazil, as to it was 
brought all the gold found in the vast district around. 
Impatient to see some vestiges of that splendor which 
its name implies, I slept but little, and rose at an early 
hour. We, with difficulty, obtained our breakfast, con- 
sisting of coffee and eggs, with bread and English but- 
ter, after which we dressed and went to deliver our 
letters. 

Our arrival being announced, we were directed to 
present ourselves at the audience-chambers, which form 
part of a large edifice, containing also the Post-office, 
and other public rooms for the transaction of Govern- 
ment business. We were introduced to the Genera! 
of the Forces, and to Dr. Lucas, Judge of the Supreme 
Court, the latter held the principal authority in the ab- 
sence of the Viceroy, who was gone to Rio de Janeiro, 
another from Goyazes being expected shortly to succeed 
him. We were honoured with a most handsome recep^ 



174 



TRAVELS IN THE 



tion, and various houses were put in our choice, with 
a kind invitation to make use of any of them during 
our stay, but we preferred taking lodgings in the centre 
of the town, within three minutes walk of the Palace, in 
Rua de Dereito, the very Bond Street of Villa Rica. 

After our interview with the Judge, we devoted some 
hours to a perambulation of the town, and returned 
much fatigued to dine at our inn. In the evening I 
paid a visit to the vicar, who gave me a hearty welcome, 
and in the usual style of Portugueze compliment told 
me his house was mine. The saying, had it been veri- 
fied, would have put me in possession of one of the best 
mansions in Villa Rica. At tea the worthy pastor intro- 
duced me to several officers, among whom was the late 
governor of the Diamond district, who gave me much 
information concerning it, and shewed me an aqua ma- 
rina, which had been found in one of the washings. It 
was a perfect hexagonal prism, full seven inches in 
length and three quarters of an inch in diameter, clear 
and free from flaws. After some hours of very agreea- 
ble conversation, the party broke up, and it being dark, 
I was conducted to my inn by a servant of the vicar's, 
with his lantern. At the corners of the streets, along 
which we passed, there were groups of the lower order 
of people offering their prayers ; in a niche above them 
was a figure of the Virgin, with tapers burning before 
it. A voice in a low solemn tone uttered the vespers, 
the responses were made by the multitude. I took off 
my hat as I passed, knowing that such a token of reve- 
rence is always expected. 

The next day was occupied, chiefly in removing our 
equipage to our new lodgings in Rua de Dereito ; to 
this service our soldiers were particularly attentive, and 
left us nothing to do which they could do for us. On 
the day following we were honoured with visits from 
the judge, the general, the vicar, and many of the princi- 
pal inhabitants, all of whom testified their respect for us 
in the most polite manner. Many of them afterwards 
sent me presents of fine sugar, coffee, sweet-meats, 
cheese, and some good bread. One gentleman, to give 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



175 



me a proof of the richness of the soil, and salubrity of 
the climate, sent me a cabbage, full fourteen inches in 
diameter, when stripped of its outside leaves ; a finer 
vegetable never was produced. 

When our leisure permitted, we took excursions to 
view the town, and its vicinity, sometimes on horseback, 
an i sometimes on foot, generally going and returning 
in a different direction. It is situated on the side of a 
large mountain, connected with others forming an im- 
mense chain, of which it is one of the highest. Most 
of the streets range, in steps, as it were, from the base 
to the summit, and are crossed by others which lead up 
the acclivity. It is most admirably supplied with water, 
which is conducted into almost every house in a most 
convenient and pleasant manner. In the streets are many 
fountains, which, though not to be compared with 
those of Italy in architectural taste, are well constructed- 
One cistern in particular contained water which tasted 
strongly of sulphate of iron ; the natives consider it ser- 
viceable in the cure of cutaneous diseases, and frequently 
bathe in it. The town is divided into two parishes, 
and contains a population of about twenty thousand in- 
habitants, of whom there are more whites than blacks. 
The climate is delightful, and perhaps equal to that of 
Naples. Though the latitude of the place is only 20° 
South, yet owing to its elevated site, the temperature of 
the air is generally moderate. The thermometer never 
exceeds 82° in the shade and is rarely below 48°, its 
usual range is from 64° to 80° in summer, and from 
48° to 70° in winter. The greatest heats prevail in 
January. Owing to its great elevation various changes 
from heat to cold, prevail in the same day, and there 
are frequent showers of rain. Thunder-storms are com- 
mon, but by no means violent. The sun is sometimes 
clouded by dews and mist ; so dense as not to subside 
until the forenoon is far advanced. 

The gardens here are laid out with great taste, and 
from the peculiarity of their construction present a 
curious spectacle. As there is scarcely a piece of level 
ground, even ten yards square, on the whole side of the 



176 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Hiountain, defect has been remedied by cutting 
spnces one above another, at regular distances, and sup* 
porting the by low walls, the top of one being on a 
level with the base of that next above it. An easy flight 
of steps ieads from one level to the other. These ter- 
races seemed to me to be the very kingdom of Flora, 
fo never did I before see such a profusion of delicate 

w ers. Here were also excellent vegetables of every 
kii d, such as artichokes, asparagus, spinach, cabbage, 
kidney -beans, and potatoes. There are many indige- 
nous fruits, which might be much i proved by a better 
system of horticulture. The peach appears to be the only 
exotic fruit which has been hitherto introduced ; it 
flourishes amazingly, I have frequently seen the branches 
©f the trees so loaded, as to require perpendicular support. 

The town is of considerable extent, but by no means 
so well peopled as when the mines were rich. Few of 
the inhabitants have any employment except the shop- 
keepers, who are indeed a numerous class. English 
woollens were by no means dear, superfine cloth being 
at 30s. to 35s. per yard, coatings, &x. nearly as cheap 
as in England ; common cotton prints at Is. 6d. to 2s. 
per yard ; hats, handkerchiefs, kerseymeres, and Man- 
chester piece goods in great plenty. There seemed in- 
deed to be a glut of English merchandize, and prods ice 
of all sorts, except earthenware, hams, porter, and butter ^ 
which were dear on account of the risk of carriage. Com- 
mon Figueras wine was at 3s. 6d. the bottle. The 
shops that sold the produce of the country were few in 
number and very indifferent. There were a great many 
taylors, shoe-makers, tin-workers, and venders of k d- 
ware, some smiths, and no inconsiderable number of 
saddlers. In a country where every one is a horseman, 
this trade must, one would imagine, take the lead of 
most others. The saddles that were shewn me here 
were of a much superior make to those which I saw in 
Bio de Janeiro. I was surprised to find no workers in 
gold, in a place so renowned for the production of that 
precious metal, but I was informed that the trade was 
prohibited by law, to prevent the gold from being 
worked before it was permuted. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



177 



The market of Villa Rica was but ill supplied, not- 
withstanding the fertility of the district around it. Pulse 
and vegetables for the table were scarce, even grass was 
an article in great demand,* and milk was as dear as it- 
is in London. Poultry sold at from 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6cL 
per couple. Beef of a tolerable kind, but by no means 
good, might be had at l^d. per pound. Pork was very 
fine ; mutton was utterly unknown. Tallow was ex» 
ceedingly dear, and candles were at more than double 
the price, at which they sell in this country. 

Though our arrival in the town excited some surprise, 
as we were the first of our nation who had visited it, yet 
the people did not regard us entirely as strangers, many 
of them having seen Englishmen in their frequent inter- 
course with Rio de Janeiro. My worthy companion 
had letters to some of the principal shopkeepers, which 
we took an early opportunity of delivering. When we 
spoke to them of the richness of the country, and of the 
quantity of gold with which it was reputed to abound^ 
they seemed glad of the opportunity of telling us, that 
they believed the gold was all sent to England, adding 
that their town ought now to be termed Villa Pobre, 
instead of Villa Rica. Indeed we were surprised 
to observe the comparative poverty, which prevailed 
among them. Of above two thousand habitations^ 
which the town contained, a considerable proportion 
were untenanted ; and the rents of the rest were contin- 
ually lowering. Houses were to be purchased at one 
half their real value ; for instance, a house built a few years 
ago at 10001. cost, would not now sell for more than 500L 
The mountain on which the town stands, appeared to 
me in length from eight to nine miles, in every part nar- 
row and almost insulated, being surrounded by deep 
ravines. In riding over it in various directions, I ob- 
served it to be composed of argillaceous schistus in 
almost every gradation, migrating from the compact 



* Our mules required at least six-penny worth each per day, exclusive of 
their corn. 

z 



178 



TRAVELS IN THE 



blue slate into micaceous schistus. In some parts it 
lies in regular laminae, in others it appears in confused 
masses. The slate is sometimes, but not very generally, 
used for paving, roofing, and other similar purposes. 
In some parts I noticed a few slender, confusec, and 
irregular quartzose veins of little consequence, a large 
proportion of ferruginous accumulations and conglo- 
merations, together with martial pyrites, and a conside- 
rable quantity of rounded quartz, of all sizes. That 
side on which the town is built presents many small 
hills, which form a number of gulleys in narrow ravines. 
Numerous streamlets flow down from the springs, in 
the mountain in various channels, and in rainy weather 
swell into cascades ; they form a stream at its base call- 
ed Rio del Carmen, which in its course from hence is 
joined by many others, and changes its name first into 
that of Rio St. Jose, and then into Rio Doce. Of the 
latter I shall have occasion in the sequel to speak more 
at large. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



179 



CHAP. XI. 

Origin and present State of Villa Rica. — Account of the 
Mint. — Visit to the City of Mariana. — Excursion to 
the Fazendas of Barro and Castro, belonging to His 
Excellency the Conde de Linhares. 

THE history of an establishment which, twenty years 
after its foundation, was reputed the richest place 
on the globe, was an object of considerable interest with 
me: and I made many inquiries respecting it from some 
of the best informed men on the spot. It appears that 
the first discovery of this once rich mountain was ef- 
fected by the enterprising spirit of the Paulistas, who, of 
all the colonists in Brazil, retained the largest share of 
that ardent, and indefatigable zeal for discovery, which 
characterized the Lusitanians of former days. They 
penetrated from their capital into these regions, braving 
every hardship, and encountering every difficulty, which 
a savage country, infested by still more savage inhabi- 
tants, opposed to them. They cut their way through 
impervious woods, carrying their provisions with them, 
and occasionally cultivating small patches of land to 
afford them food to retreat to, in case of necessity, as 
well as to keep up a communication with their city, St. 
Paul's. Every inch of ground was disputed by the 
barbarous Indians, here called Bootocoodies, who were 
constantly either attacking them openly or lying in am- 
bush, and but too frequently succeeded in surprising 
some of them, or their negroes, whom they immediately 
sacrificed to their horrible appetite for human flesh. 
They believed the negroes to be the great monkeys of 
the wood. The bones of the unfortunate sufferers were 
frequently found exposed, shocking testimonies of the 
barbarity of their murderers, whom the Paulistas, 
roused to revenge, invariably shot, wherever they met 
them. These examples of vengeance answered their 



180 



TRAVELS IN THE 



desired end ; the Indians, terrified as well by the noise 
as by the fatal effect of the fire-arms, fled with precipi- 
tation, believing that the white men commanded light- 
ning and thunder. 

It does not appear that in exploring this territory, 
they received any assistance whatever from the Abori- 
gines ; they followed the course of rivers, occasionally 
finding gold, of which they skimmed the surface, and 
continued to proceed until they arrived at the mountain 
which is our present subject, Its riches arrested their 
course ; they immediately erected temporary houses 
and began their operations. The principal men of the 
party that first settled here, were Antonio Dias, Bartho- 
lomew Rocinho, Antonio de Ferrera (filho,) and Garcia 
Kuis. It appears that they took the most direct way 
to the place, for the roads they then opened are the same 
which are still used. The fame of their success soon 
reached the city of St. Paul's ; fresh adventurers arrived 
in great numbers, bringing with them all the negroes 
they had means to purchase. Other adventurers went 
from St. Paul's to Rio de Janeiro to procure more ne- 
groes, their own city being drained ; and thus the news 
of the lately discovered gold-mountain being made 
known in the Brazilian capital, men of all descriptions 
went in crowds to this land of promise by the way of 
St. Paul's, which was the only route then known. The 
first settlers might have prevented the exposure of their 
good fortune, had they been able to moderate their joy, 
and consented to act in concert ; but as gold was in 
such great abundance, every individual appropriated a 
lot of ground, and thus became a capitalist. Each 
strove which should make the most of his treasure in 
the shortest time, and thus there was a continual demand 
for more negroes, more iron, &c. and, in the general 
eagerness to obtain them, the secret which all were inter- 
ested in keeping was disclosed. The Paulistas, inde- 
pendent in spirit, and proud of their wealth, were desi- 
rous of giving laws to the new-comers ; but the latter 
determining to oppose this measure, formed themselves 
into a party under the guidance of Manuel Nunez Viana, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



181 



an adventurer of some consequence, who strenuously 
asserted their claim to equal rights and advantages* 
Disputes arose on both sides, and were at length aggra- 
vated into hostilities, which proved unfavourable to the 
Paulistas, the greater part of whom fled to a considera- 
ble station of their own, and there awaited reinforce- 
ments. Viana and his followers, without loss of time, 
went in pursuit of their foes, whom they found on 
a plain near the side of St. Joao del Rey. The two 
parties met on the borders of a river, and a sanguinary 
battle took place, which ended in the defeat of the Paul- 
istas, who afterwards made the best terms they could. 
The slain were buried on the margin of the river, 
which, from that circumstance, took the name of Rio 
das Mortes. 

The Paulistas, bent on revenge, but weakened by 
defeat, appealed to the sovereign, King Pedro, de- 
nouncing Viana and his followers as rebels who were 
attempting to take the district to themselves, and set up 
an independent government. The King's ministers, 
apprized of the state of affairs, and learning by report 
the immense riches of the country, immediately sent a 
chief, with a competent body of troops, to take ad van - 
tage of the strife between the two parties ; which, in a 
country tenable by a few men on account of its nume- 
rous strong-holds, was a most fortunate circumstance. 
The name of this chief was Albuquerque ; a man of 
enterprise and perseverance, in all respects qualified for 
the service on which he was sent. His appearance at 
first occasioned much confusion and discontent among 
both parties ; and though he was not openly opposed, 
yet he was in continual alarm. The Paulistas now saw 
that the riches which they in conjunction with their 
rivals might have retained, were about to be seized by 
a third party which would reduce them both to subor- 
dination. Disturbances prevailed for some time, but 
reinforcements continually arriving from Government, 
tranquillity was at length perfectly established ; and 
in the year 1711 a regular town began to be formed ; a 
government-house, a mint, and a depot for arms were 



182 



TRAVELS IN THE 



built. A code of laws was enacted for the regulation 
of the mines : all gold-dust found, was ordered to be 
delivered to officers appointed for that purpose ; a fifth 
in weight was taken for the King, and the remaining 
four parts were purified, melted into ingots at the ex- 
pence of Government, then assayed, marked according 
to their value, and delivered to the owners, with a certi- 
ficate to render them current. For the greater conveni- 
ence of trade, gold-dust was likewise permitted to cir- 
culate for small payments. Notwithstanding tht se strict 
regulations, a considerable quantity of the precious metal 
in its original state found its way to Rio de Janeiro, 
Bahia, and other ports, clandestinely, without paying 
the royal fifth, until Government, apprized of this illicit 
traffic, established registers, in various parts for the 
examination of all passengers, and stationed soldiers to 
patrole the roads. By these means, gold in immense 
quantities was seized and confiscated ; the persons on 
whom any was found forfeited all their property, and, 
unless, they had friends of great influence, were sent as 
convicts to Africa for life. The greatest disgrace was 
attached to the name of smuggler ; and such was the 
rigour of the law against offenders of this description, 
that every person quitting the district was obliged to 
take a certificate stating whither he was going, and what 
he carried with him. This regulation is still in force, 
and is rigorously observed. 

Villa Rica soon enjoyed a considerable trade with 
Rio de Janeiro ; the returns were negroes, iron, woollens, 
salt, provisions of various kinds, and wine, all which at 
that time bore amazingly high profits. 

About the year 1713, when Dr. Bras de Silvia was 
appointed governor, the quantity of gold produced was 
so considerable that the royal fifth amounted to half a 
million sterling annually. The mountain became pierced 
like a honey-comb, as the miners worked every soft part 
they could find, and penetrated as far as they could, 
conveying the cascalhao which they dug out to a con- 
venient place for washing. In rainy weather the torrents 
nf water running down the sides of the mountain, c^r- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



183 



ried away much earthy matter containing delicate parti- 
cles of gold, which settled in the ground near its base. 
When the waters abated, this rich deposit gave employ- 
ment to numbers of the poorer sort of people, who took 
it away and washed it at their convenience. 

Antonio Dias, the person already mentioned as one 
of the leaders of the P&ulistas, who discovered the place, 
having become extremely rich, built a fine church, and 
dying soon after, bequeathed to it considerable funds. 
It still bears his name. Five or six others were begun, 
and soon finished, as neither wood nor stone was want- 
ing, and the inhabitants were all ready to contribute a 
share of their property, and to employ their negroes in 
furtherance of these pious works. A law highly credi- 
table to the wisdom of the Portugueze government was 
now enacted, to prohibit friars from entering the territory 
of the mines. What treasures were thus saved to the 
state, and what a number of persons were thus conti* 
nued in useful labour, who would else have become 
burthensome to the community. 

The town now underwent many improvements ; its 
streets were more regularly built, and some parts of the 
side of the mountain were levelled to afford more conve- 
nient room for the construction of houses, and the laying 
out of gardens. Reservoirs were formed, from which 
water was distributed by means of conduits to all parts, 
and public fountains were erected in the most conveni- 
ent and central situations. The mint and smelting- 
houses were enlarged, and rendered more commodious 
for the transaction of business. About this period the 
inhabitants amounted to twelve thousand or upwards ; 
those who possessed mines were either the first settlers 
or their descendants, and as the best part of the district 
was occupied, the new adventurers who continued to 
arrive from time to time, were obliged to enter into the 
service of the existing owners, until they had learned 
their methods of working, after which they generally 
went in search of fresh mines, proceeding along the 
water- courses and ravines, where they sometimes disco- 
vered new sources of wealth. Between the years 1730 



184 



TRAVELS IN THE 



and 1750 the mines were in the height of their prosperity^ 
the King's fifth during some years of that period, is said 
to have amounted to at least a million sterling annually. 

The mines which produced this immense wealth at 
length became gradually less abundant ; and, as the pre- 
cious metal disappeared, numbers of the miners retired, 
some to the mother- country, loaded with riches, which 
tempted fresh adventurers, and many to Rio de Janeiro 
and other sea-ports, where they employed their large 
capitals in commerce. 

Villa Rica at the present day scarcely retains a sha- 
dow of its former splendour. Its inhabitants, with the 
exception of the shop-keepers, are void oi' employment ; 
they totally neglect the fine country around them, which, 
by proper cultivation, would amply compensate for the 
loss of the wealth, which their ancestors drew from 
its bosom. Their education, their habits, their heredi- 
tary prejudices, alike unfit them for active life ; perpetu- 
ally indulging in visionary prospects of sudden wealth, 
they fancy themselves exempted from that universal law 
of nature which ordains that man shall live by the sweat 
of his brow. In contemplating the fortunes accumu- 
lated by their predecessors, they overlook the industry 
and perseverance which obtained them, and entirely lose 
sight of the change of circumstances which renders 
those qualities now doubly necessary. The successors 
of men who rise to opulence from small beginnings, 
seldom follow the example set before them, even when 
trained to it ; how then should a Creolian, reared in 
idleness and ignorance, feel any thing of the benefits of 
industry ! His negroes constitute his principal property, 
and them he manages so ill, that the profits of their la- 
bour hardly defray the expences of their maintenance ; 
in the regular course of nature, they become old and 
unable to work, yet he continues in the same listless, 
and slothful way, or sinks into a state of absolute inac- 
tivity, not knowing what to do from morning to night. 

This deplorable degeneracy is almost the universal 
characteristic of the descendants of the original settlers ; 
every trade is occupied either by mulattoes or negroes. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



185 



both of which classes seem superior in intellect to 
their masters, because they make a better use of it. 

During my stay here, I paid frequent visits to the 
mint, and was liberally permitted by the officers to see 
every process performed there.. In the smelting-house 
were eight or ten small blast-furnaces, in form much 
resembling blacksmiths' hearths. The fuel used is 
charcoal. When a quantity of gold-dust is brought, 
(no matter whether large or small,) say, for instance, 
six ounces, it is first permuted, and a fifth taken for the 
Prince ; the rtbt is put into a Hessian crucible about 
three inches in diameter, which is immediately placed 
in the furnace. A quantity of corrosive sublimate is 
then put to it, which, on being heated, exhales very 
strong fumes ; the scoriae, if any be formed, are taken 
off with a pair of tongs, and more sublimate is added if 
required. Ebullition sometimes occurs, in which case 
the crucible is covered with a bit of common tile. As 
soon as the mercury is evaporated, the gold is poured 
into an ingot-mould, previously rubbed with animal fat ; 
it is afterwards turned out into a tub of water. The in- 
got generally, in some part or other, has mercury attach- 
ed to it, which it seizes immediately, and the part of 
the gold thus affected assumes the appearar.ee of lead.# 
To remove this, they hold it in a strong fire with a 
pair of tongs until the mercury is evaporated. It is 
afterwards sent to the assay-master, who first compares 
it on the touchstone with gold bars of different alloys, 
'ascertained and marked, and then assays it. The two 
methods being found to agree, the assay-master stamps 
upon the ingot its degree of fineness, (called toque,) also 
its weight, its number, the name of the place, and the 
year. It is then registered in a book kept for that pur- 
pose, and a copy of the entry is made out on a slip of 
paper, in which the ingot is wrapped, and delivered 
to the owner for circulation. The operation of melt- 



* In England I once knew an instance in which an ingot with mercury 
thus adhering to it, in the possession of a person ignorant of metallurgy, was 
sold at a reduced price, as if the discoloured part bad really been lead ; the 
purchaser also supposing that to be the case. 

A A 



186 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ing a given quantity, seldom occupies more than ten 
minutes or a quarter of an hour ; that of cupelling about 
double the time : but I have seen men deliver their 
gold-dust, and receive it in a circulating form in less 
than an hour ; so that little delay takes place, and as 
there are six furnaces, the bringers of gold have seldom 
to wait for their turn. The pale colour and low 
quality of various bars of gold are always imputed to 
the silver, platina, or other metal contained in them. I 
have seen some as low as sixteen carats, and others as 
fine as 23* carats, which is within half a carat of what is 
denominated pure gold. Twenty-two is the standard, 
and gold exceeding that receives a premium according 
to its fineness. 

Considerable quantities of arsenical pyrites, said to 
be cobalt, were brought to me : I examined some spe- 
cimens with the blow-pipe, but found no vestige of that 
metal, as the substance in no stage imparted a blue 
colour to borax or glass. Martial pyrites is found 
about three miles from the town, where there is a very 
strong vein of it in quartz. Antimony was brought to 
me from some distance, and also a few bits of copper 
much oxidated, which were said to have been found in 
the washings at a town called Laldrones, but this I had 
great reason to doubt Not a few impositions respect- 
ing the discovery of copper were attempted upon me. 
One man brought a rounded piece of jasper, about an 
ounce in weight, and with it half an ounce of copper, 
of the form and about the size of a duck-shot, which 
he told me had been produced by smelting a stone 
similar to the jasper then before me. I with much dif- 
ficulty persuaded him, that the person who had per- 
formed the operation for him had dropped a copper 
coin into the crucible. I was astonished to find that 
many persons, even gentlemen of some consequence, 
had a notion that almost every red-coloured stone in 
the pavement of the streets was copper. One fellow 
had circulated a report that he possessed several pieces 
rich in that metal ; but, on being sent for, and question- 
ed closely, he stated that he had lost them in removing 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



187 



to another house. It is not surprising that tales of this 
kind should gain easy credit among persons stimulated 
by avarice, and blinded by ignorance, and that the art- 
ful men who invent and propagate them, should be 
tempted by success to repeat their impositions, and 
corrupt others by their example. The rich iron ores 
with which the district abounds and of which I saw- 
many specimens, might furnish employment much 
more profitable than washing for gold, or following 
other idle and chimerical speculations. 

During the first few days of my residence here, my 
sdldiers procured me a quantity of the finest porcelain 
cldy I have ever seen ; that used in the manufactory at 
Sevres near Paris is inferior to it. It is found at the 
foot of a mountain of argillaceous schistus, called San 
Antonio, near Cangones do Campo, in a vein accom- 
panied with quartz, and specular iron ore. 

A week after my arrival here, I was invited to go to 
a pottery about three miles distant. Crossing a bridge 
over the Rio del Carmen, at the foot of the town of Villa 
Rica, we ascended another steep mountain, on the sum- 
mit of which I found iron ore in great quantities. 
Though not very rich, I have no doubt it would pro- 
duce 25 per cent, of metal. The want of wood, which 
is here complained of as an objection to working it, 
might be remedied by planting ; for this summit is a 
fine plain, which proper cultivation would render highly 
productive. At present, though so near the town, it 
lies totally neglected, without a single inclosure upon 
it. The pottery, at which we soon arrived, has been 
but recently established. The clay is used in its na- 
tive state, without any admixture, and is cleared of its 
coarse particles by washing. After the water has been 
let off, and evaporated so as to leave it of a sufficient 
consistency, it is put on the wheel, and formed into 
plates, mugs, jars, &c. which are bulky and heavy, but 
by no means strong. They are rendered less fragile 
by being covered with an excellent thick glazing. The 
furnaces have no chimneys, but consist merely of a low 
arch in which are several vent holes, The glazing fur- 



188 



TRAVELS IN THE 



nace is reverberatory, but it is so ill constructed as to 
destroy much fuel and produce little heat. Through- 
out the whole district there is fine coarse clay for bricks, 
tiles, &c. 

I was here invited to taste some wine, made from 
grapes grown on the spot, which was excellent A more 
happy situation than this vicinity affords for the growth 
of fruits of every kind can scarcely be imagined. The 
pear, the olive, and the mulberry would thrive here 
equally well with the grape, if proper pains were taken 
with them. A skilful agriculturist would with great 
ease, I am certain, bring it into such a state of improve- 
ment as to serve the double purpose of a corn and 
dairy farm ; excellent wheat might be grown, and a 
certain quantity of the land kept under artificial grasses 
for cutting, A fine stream of water runs through the 
whole, with a sufficient fall to turn mills. 

The principles of husbandry, seem as little under- 
stood here as in any part of the territory through which 
we had hitherto travelled. Perhaps there is no coun- 
try on the globe, where the vicissitudes of plenty and 
scarcity do not prevail, and where human experience 
has not shewn the necessity of laying by a store in time 
of abundance, as a provision for a season of famine ; 
but here this salutary practice is almost wholly disre- 
garded. The cattle are turned out on the unenclosed 
tracts,# and left to subsist on whatever they can find. 
In the summer months, when the grass throughout 
the wide extent is burnt up, they flock to the margins 
of the rivulets as their last resource, which soon fails. 
Numbers of them die of famine, and those that survive 
the season are so exhausted, and weakened that they 
seldom thoroughly recover. 

A small mount in the vicinity of this pottery present- 
ed much ferruginous matter, and a substance that ap- 
peared to me barytes in a mamillary form, a speci- 
men of which 1 took with me. Since my return to 



* The finest parts of these tracts, in the best season, are by no means so 
rich in grass as an English meadow. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



189 



England, it has been proved by the analysis of the 
eminent Dr Wollaston, to be hydrargylite without 
fluoric acid. 

During my stay at Villa Rica, I rode to the city of 
Mariana, distant eight miles, by a tremendous and 
almost impassable road, along a ridge of mountains ; 
and afterwards went thither by the general road which 
passes between two high hills, and for some distance 
along the river side, all the way on the descent. The 
margins of the Rio del Carmen, which runs through 
the town, have been washed the whole way from Villa 
Rica, parties from which place held possession of this 
settlement as early as the year 1710, claiming it on 
account of the gold brought down from thence by the 
current of the river. It was made a bishop's see, about 
the year 1715, and was called Cidade de Mariana, in 
honour of the then reigning Queen of Portugal, the 
present Prince Regent's grand-mother. It is a small, 
neat, and well-built town, containing from six to seven 
thousand inhabitants. Here is a college for the edu- 
cation of young men destined for the church. The 
bishop is a prelate of exemplary character, and is belov- 
ed by all who know him. The place has very little 
trade, and depends chiefly on the mines and farms in 
its vicinity. Many miners reside here whose works are 
several leagues distant, some of them extending to the 
village of Camargo, situated beyond a large plain, which 
strttches westward from the confines of the city. 

Having resided in Villa Rica nearly a fortnight, lex- 
pressed a desire to visit two estates, forty miles distant, 
known by the names of Barro and Castro, both belong- 
ing to the Conde de Linharcs. Between the years 
1730 and 1740 these estates produced much gold, and 
were then in the possession of Senhor Matthias Barbosa, 
a settler of great respectability, who took up these lands 
and drove the Anthropophagi from them. He, becom- 
ing very rich, sent his only daughter to Portugal to be 
educated, where she remained, and after his death in- 
herited his whole property. She was married in Lis- 
bon to a gentleman of the family of Souza, and from 



190 



TRAVELS IN THE 



them are descended the two noblemen of that name, 
who now hold high official situations under the Prince 
Regent- His Excellency the Conde's steward, furnish- 
ed me and my worthy friend with mules, and Mr. 
Lucas, the Judge, obligingly ordered every necessary 
to be provided for our journey. We rode through 
Mariana, and arrived at Alto de Chapada, a village, 
three miles distant from it, situated on an elevation in 
the midst of a fine plain. We soon afterwards reached 
a very high and confined situation, between two per- 
pendicular mountains, from whence we had a bird's 
eye view of the village of St. Sebastian. From this 
steep we descended, with great difficulty, on foot, to 
the Rio del Carmen at its base, over which is a very 
high-arched and picturesque bridge. Passing this 
ravine we proceeded a full league by the river side, 
through a rich country abounding in fine sloping hills 
and fertile plains, watered by numerous streams which 
flow into the river in various directions, and all of which 
bear vestiges of having been formerly washed for gold. 
The road side exhibited similar remains, and seemed 
to have been at some period connected with the river, 
which, in this part, is as large as the Thames at Wind- 
sor. We passed through San Giatanha, a straggling 
thinly peopled village, and proceeding about three 
miles further, arrived at an indifferent house, called 
Lavras Velhas, where we halted for the night, having 
performed half our journey. The owner of this place 
found it difficult, with thirty or forty negroes, to main- 
tain himself decently, though the land was susceptible 
of every species of culture, and needed only the hand 
of industry to render it productive. Every thing about 
the establishment exhibited a pitiful spectacle of ne- 
glect, indifference, and slo:h. It is but justice to add 
that he treated us with the greatest civility, and amply 
supplied our necessities. 

Leaving Lavras Velhas at eight next morning, we 
passed Moro dos Arreas, the country presenting still 
finer valleys, and excellent timber, but totally destitute 
of cattle. Ascending a high hill we were immerged 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



191 



for about an hour in a cloud, and exposed to some small 
rain, but not sufficient to penetrate our coats. This 
was the only rain we experienced on the road by day. 
In the night the rain sometimes fell plentifully. We 
observed some exceedingly large worms, stretched mo- 
tion less on the road, which our guide told us were 
sure signs of wet weather. From this height we saw 
the Rio Gualacha, which, with another river, joins the 
Rio del Carmen about ten leagues below, and forms 
the Rio San Jose. Proceeding in that direction through 
a fine country, we reached Altos de Si. Michael, where 
the river last mentioned is of considerable width, but 
not deep. Its waters are extremely turbid, on account 
of the mud brought from the gold-washings along the 
banks, from its source to this place. These heights 
command a fine view of three windings of the river ; at 
their base there are vestiges of one of the oldest and 
most extensive gold- washings which yielded much 
treasure to its discoverer and proprietor, Sen hor Matthias 
Barbosa. The country is well- wooded, but rather 
thinly peopled ; I expressed some surprise at observing 
no good dwelling-houses in a district which formerly 
produced so much wealth, and was informed that the 
first miners, eager to take the cream of the gold to as 
large an extent as they could, seldom remained long on 
the same spot, and contented themselves with building 
sheds or ranchos, to serve for their temporary residence. 

Descending this mountain, we entered upon the es- 
tate of His Excellency, called Fazenda do Barro, and 
were shewn the house at a distance of nearly a league, 
on a pleasing eminence, near the river-side. On arriv- 
ing, an excellent dinner was provided for us, of which, 
having been eight hours on our mules, we partook very 
heartily. 

The house, and indeed the whole establishment, 
were strikingly superior, in point of convenience, to the 
miserable places we had lately passed. Having dined, 
we refreshed ourselves with a walk in the garden, where 
the coffee-trees in full blossom shewed, at a distance, 
as if loaded with snow. This spot afforded a view of 



192 



TRAVELS IN THE 



a most enchanting country, diversified with gentle 
eminences and large valleys well clothed with timber. 
From the farther margin of the river, which flows at 
one hundred yards distance, in front of the house, rises 
a fine hill, well calculated for the culture of every 
species of produce, and connected with others of equal 
fertility. 

On the following day I was chiefly occupied in vi- 
siting every part of the establishment. The distil-house, 
sugar-engine, and corn-mill, were very much out of 
repair ; the two latter were worked by horizontal water- 
wheels of great power. The buildings of the fazenda 
form a square, the southern side being occupied by 
the house, and the three others consisting of dwel- 
lings for the negroes, store-houses, carpenters' and 
blacksmiths' shops, and other olfices equally useful. 

Having requested to see the cattle, I was shewn 
seven fine well-proportioned cows ; their calves were 
old, and they being unaccustomed to be milked regu- 
larly, gave very little. I signified to the people my 
wish to instruct the m in the management of a dairy 
after the English mode ; and the carpenter hearing my 
description of a churn, readily assured me that he could 
make one, and set about it forthwith in the following 
manner. He procured a trunk of a tree of the length 
and girth required ; sawed it lengthwise in two equal 
parts, which(after hollowing them sufficiently ,andprepar- 
ing a bottom,) he joined with two iron hoops so tightly 
as to hold water. The churn-staff and top were soon 
finished : but now an unexpected difficulty occurred ; 
here was no place free from dust and dirt to serve for a 
dairy, nor any pan fit to hold the milk. All the cook- 
ing-pots that could be spared were cleaned for this pur- 
pose, but they were quite of the wrong make, being 
wide at the bottom and narrow at the brim. They 
were, however, laid by along with the churn, to be used 
the first time the cows were milked. The good lady 
of the house assisted in our preparations, and seemed 
much interested in them. 
In the afternoon I rode out to see the gold-washings, 



INTERIOR OF BRAfclLS. 



193 



On the way thither I observed a man training a horse* 
with a cord attached to the bridle in one hand, and a 
whip in the other. Two pieces of leather in the form 
of breechings were sewed to two iron rings ; one part 
was put over the back of the animal, the other part slip-* 
ped down as a breeching ; the part on the back was to 
prevent its slipping lower. To these rings were tied 
cords from the horse's fore- feet, capable of being short- 
ened or lengthened at pleasure. The horse being put 
in motion, took very short fore -steps, somewhat like 
those of the chargers in equestrian performances.— 
Horses thus trained are here called pacers, and are in 
great request among persons of distinction of both sex-* 
es, their gait being very easy and graceful* 

On arriving at the washings, I saw a great extent of 
ground already worked* and immense heaps of quart- 
zose stones. On the margin of the river where they 
were then working, I found them cutting away the 
bank, to the depth of at least ten feet, to get at the cas- 
calhao incumbent on the rock. The substance they 
had to cut through was clay, so strong that, though 
falls of water were let upon it, and negroes were con- 
stantly working it with hoes of various kinds, it was 
with difficulty to be removed. This was not the only 
impediment, for, by the constant precipitation of mud f 
the cascalhao was five feet below die bed of the river ; 
hence, when they had sunk their pits, they had to use 
means for drawing the water from them. The hydrau- 
lic machines employed for this purpose are constructed 
as follows : A trough or spout, made of four stout 
planks, forming a cavity, say six inches square, is 
placed in an inclining position, with its lower end in 
the pit, where a roller is properly secured to a pile driv» 
en into the ground : an iron chain, with peculiar links, 
on every one of which is fixed a piece of wood, nearly 
answering the interior dimensions of the spout, is pass- 
ed through it, then under the roller, and over the out- 
side, up to the axis of a water-wheel, which being put 
in motion, causes the discharge of a column of water 
equal to the cavity. These machines are calculated to 

B B 



194 



TRAVELS IN THE 



raise a great deai of water, but they are liable to be 
thrown out of repair. In many cases hand-pumps would 
serve the purpose better, being made at little trouble or 
expense, easily repaired, and always ready at an hour's 
notice. They are here utterly unknown. 

In the operation of getting gold, the heavy work is 
assigned to the male negroes, and the lighter labour to 
the females. The cascalhao, dug from these pits by the 
former, is carried away by the latter, in gamellas, or 
bowls, to be washed. When a sufficient quantity has 
been procured, the men proceed to that process, which 
they perform much in the way already described in 
treating of St. Paul's. I perceived, however, that here 
they did not, in the first instance, attempt to separate 
the gold from the black oxide of iron, but emptied their 
gamellas into a larger vessel, by rinsing them in the 
water which it contained. The substance deposited in 
this vessel was delivered out in small portions of about 
a pound each, to the most skilful washers, as the ope- 
ration of washing, or, as it was termed, purifying it, re- 
quired great niceness and dexterity. Some of the grains 
of gold were so fine as to float on the surface, and of 
course were liable to be washed away in these repeated 
changes of water ; to prevent which the negroes bruis- 
ed a few handfuls of herbs on a stone, and mixed the 
juice in small proportions with the water in their gamel- 
las. Whether this liquid did in reality tend to precipi- 
tate the gold, I could not positively ascertain, but the 
negroes certainly used it with the greatest confidence. 

There is another mode of separating the gold from 
the cascalhao, called canoe- washing, which is extremely 
interesting. The canoes are made in the following 
manner : Two ten or twelve inch planks, about 
twelve or fifteen feet in length, are laid on the ground, 
forming an inclined plane, sloping about one inch in 
twelve : two other planks of similar dimensions are fix- 
ed in the same direction at the lower end, forming a 
second inclined plane, with a fall of six inches from the 
former. On their sides are boards placed edge-wise, 
and staked down to the ground so as to form long shal- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



low troughs, the bottoms of which are covered with 
hides tanned with the hair on, having the hairy side out- 
wards, or, in defect of these, with rough baize. Down 
these troughs is conveyed the water containing the oxide 
of iron and the lighter particles of gold ; the latter sub- 
stance precipitating in its course is entangled by the 
hair. Every half- hour the hides are taken up, and car- 
ried to a tank near at hand, formed of four walls, say 
five feet long, four broad, and four deep, and containing 
about two feet depth of water. The hides are stretch- 
ed over this tank and well beaten, then dipped and beat- 
en repeatedly, until all the gold is disentangled, after 
which they are carried back and replaced in the troughs. 
The tanks are locked up at nights, and well secured. 
The sediment taken from them being light is easily 
washed away by the hand in the manner before describ- 
ed, leaving only the black oxide of iron, called esmeril, 
and the gold, which is so fine that mercury is used to 
separate it. The process, as I saw it performed, was 
as follows : About two pounds weight of oxide of iron, 
very rich in fine grains of gold, was put in a clean 
bowl ; a quantity of mercury, about two ounces, was 
added to it ; the mass of oxide, which was very damp, 
was worked by the hand for about twenty minutes, 
when the mercury appeared to have separated the es- 
meril, and to have taken up all the gold, assuming a 
soft doughy mass, that retained any form into which it 
was squeezed. The grains of gold, however, remain- 
ed not amalgamated with, but merely enveloped in, the 
mercury. The mass was put into a folded handker- 
chief, and an ounce or more of mercury was wrung or 
squeezed from it. The rest was put into a small brass 
dish, covered with a few green leaves, and then placed 
over a charcoal fire, where it was stirred with an iron 
rod to prevent the gold from adhering to the sides of 
the dish. The leaves were occasionally changed as 
they became parched by the heat. When taken off, 
they exhibited in some parts small globules of mercu- 
ry, and in others white oxide ; on washing them with 
water, nearly half an ounce of the former substance 



196 



TRAVELS IN THE 



was obtained from them.* I ever observed that the 
gold after this operation was changed in colour from 
an agreeable soft yellow to a dirty brown, and present- 
ed a very diiferent appearance from that which was not 
subjected to mercury. 

By way of suggesting an improvement, I made some 
drawings and models of earthen vessels for evaporating, 
and afterwards condensing the mercury ; but the quan- 
tity of gold requiring this mode of separation is so in= 
considerable, that it would scarcely be worth their 
while to alter the process now practised. 

I rode over various parts of the estate, and more par- 
ticularly along both banks of the river, which, as well 
as the bed, appeared to have been much washed. The 
bends, or parts where eddies were formed, were the places 
noted as being rich in gold. Wherever the margin 
formed a fiat, or level, the cascalhao continued under 
the surface to some distance, appearing like a continual 
tion of the bed of the river, which in all probability it 
was, as the river is known to have been much wider 
formerly. The parts that were then working, and others 
that had yet to be worked, bore a very unpromising 
appearance. 

An opportunity was soon afforded me of carrying in- 
to execution the proposed dairy experiment. Having 
obtained about six quarts of milk, (which, on account 
of the scarcity of grass, was very poor,) I put it into the 
culinary vessels that had been set apart for it ; but 
such was the state of the place in which they were de- 
posited, that though I placed banana leaves over them 
the surface next morning was covered with dust. I 
took off the cream in the best manner I could, but not 
being able to find a cellar or cold place for it to stand 
in, I was obliged to leave it in the same room with the 
rnilk, where it was hardly secure against the pigs. On 
each of the two following mornings I obtained about 



* This species of sublimation on a small scale interested me greatly. 
Gould it proceed from any glimmering of science in the minds of thenegroes s 
or was it merely an accidental discovery ? 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



197 



two gallons of milk, which being added to the other, 
was in due time churned ; and, notwithstanding the 
disadvantages of poor milk, improper utensils, and bad 
keeping, a tolerably fair proportion of good butter was 
obtained. The people seemed highly satisfied with the 
success of the process ; but I had strong doubts that 
they would not pursue it after my departure, as they 
must naturally dislike the trouble and care which it re- 
quired. Such was the force of their habitual and long- 
cherished prejudices, that I have no hesitation in saying 
they would take ten times more pains to procure forty- 
shillings-worth of gold at an expence of thirty shillings, 
than they would to obtain forty-shillings-worth of but- 
ter, though it were only to cost them five. 

It may be expected that I should assign some reasons 
for entering so frequently into detail upon one of the 
simplest branches of rural economy. I have to observe, 
then, that ere I left Rio de Janeiro to undertake this 
journey, I was informed that the cheese generally con- 
sumed in that capkal, and regarded there as a luxury, 
was the produce of the district to which i was going. 
Its taste was sometimes so extremely rancid and disa- 
greeable, as to be utterly unwholesome, and from this 
circumstance I judged that there must be great misman- 
agement in the preparation of it. All the farms which 
I had occasion to visit on my journey to Villa Rica, 
and from thence to this place, fully confirmed my 
opinion ; for, miserable as was the condition of every 
department belonging to them, that of the dairy was 
still worse. In the few places where they pretended 
to prepare milk for cheese, not only were the various 
utensils in an extremely filthy condition, but the rennet 
was so putrid as to be in the last degree sickening. I 
endeavoured to make the people sensible of the advan- 
tages of an improved mode of management, and wher- 
ever I had an opportunity, gave them information how 
to proceed ; but as oral or written instructions were lit- 
tle calculated to make a durable impression, I determin- 
ed, when leisure and convenience should concur, to 
enforce them by example. The first and only oppor- 



198 



TRAVELS IN THE 



tunity of this kind presented itself at the Fazenda do 
Barro ; and I was the more induced to avail myself of 
it, from considering that the precedent, which I wish- 
ed to give to the farmers of the district would have 
greater influence, by being sanctioned by the approval 
of His Excellency the Conde de Linhares. The re- 
sult, as I have just observed, was not very flattering to 
my hopes ; a solitary experiment can do little towards 
reforming a general evil of long continuance ; and there 
is no probability that this, or any other branch of the 
farming system of the country will be improved, until 
the great and the opulent zealously unite for the accom- 
plishment of an object so highly important. 

In our excursions through various parts of the es- 
tate, we observed on the exterior of many of the trees a 
great variety of crimson lichens, which, on being steep- 
ed in water, imparted a very strong tinge of that colour. 
Here were excellent barks for tanning, particularly that 
of a tree called Canifistula, which does not redden or 
colour the hide. We found many beautiful varieties 
of the jacaranda, or rose- wood. 

Having resided at Barro some days, we set out for 
the Fazenda de Castro, distant about seven miles, 
where we arrived after a pleasant ride over a mountain- 
ous and finely -wooded district, containing large tracts 
of rich virgin land, watered by many excellent streams. 
This noble mansion was erected by the first possessor' 
of the district, Senhor Matthias Barbosa. It is very 
spacious and airy, having a gallery in front forty-eight 
yards long, to which opened fourteen folding-doors, or 
windows, extending nearly from the top to the bottom of 
the rooms. It is situated near the confluence of the 
Riberon del Carmen and the Rio Guaiacha, which form 
the San Jose, a river as large as the Thames at Batter- 
sea. 

We did not rest above an hour at this fazenda, it be- 
ing our intention to visit the aldea or village of San Jose 
de Barra Longa, situated on the confines of the territo- 
ry inhabited by the Bootocoody Indians. Crossing the 
river by a fine wooden bridge, built about fifty years ago, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



199 



but still in tolerable repair, we proceeded along the bank, 
which was embellished with several gardens, and pre- 
sented more frequent appearances of cultivation, than 
we had of late been accustomed to view. The climate 
is much hotter than at Villa Rica, on account of the 
lowness of the situation ; and we were informed that 
fruits of every kind, particularly the pine, grew in this 
soil to great perfection, in size and fineness of flavour. 
The truth of these accounts we could not ascertain, as 
this was not the fruit-season. 

After travelling about four miles we arrived at the 
village. It being Sunday, numbers of people had come 
from various parts of the neighbourhood to attend di- 
vine service, and, after it was over, flocked in crowds 
to the place where we alighted. It appeared as if the 
whole population of the village, men, women, and chil- 
dren, were possessed with the same spirit of curiosity, 
so great was their eagerness to get a sight of us. We 
dined in a mixed company of ladies and gentlemen, at 
the house of the worthy vicar, who kept a very hospita- 
ble table, and paid us the most flattering attention. A 
military officer, and a judge, who were of the; party 7 
entered into conversation with us ; and it was difficult 
to decide who were the most inquisitive, they, respect- 
ing the motives and objects of our journey, or we, re- 
specting the state of the country, the Anthropophagi, &c» 
We learnt that the village was founded about twenty- 
three years ago by a number of Portugueze, who were 
tempted to settle, in a spot so exposed to the depreda- 
tions of the Bootocoodies, by the gold with which it 
abounded. At the present day, I was informed that it 
contains about four hundred inhabitants, and that the 
vicinity is well peopled, so that a sufficient force is al- 
ways at hand to repel the savages ; who, no longer dar- 
ing to attack openly, now have often recourse to strata- 
gem. When they have marked out a house, and as- 
certained its strength, they set fire to it by shooting ar- 
rows with fire-brands into the roof, and fall on the un- 
fortunate inhabitants as they are attempting to escape. 
These savages, accustomed to live in the woods, and 



200 



TRAVELS IN THE 



well practised in all the arts requisite for catching the 
wild animals on which they subsist, have a thousand 
stratagems for way-laying the setders. Sometimes they 
render themselves invisible by tying branches and young 
trees about them, and fix their bows imperceptibly, so 
that, when a poor negro or white happens to pass near 
them, they seldom miss their aim. At other times, 
they rub themselves with ashes and lie on the ground, 
or make pit falls, in which they place pointed stakes, 
and cover them with twigs and leaves. They have a 
great dread of fire-arms, and betake themselves to flight 
whenever they hear them ; but these weapons are by no 
means so general among the settlers as they ought to 
be, and the few they have are of very indifferent make, 
and frequently altogether useless. It sometimes, though 
rarely, happens, that the soldiers surprise the aborigines, 
in which place no combat takes place ; the latter run 
away as speedily as possible ; and their pursuers, tak- 
ing vengeance for injuries sustained, seldom give quar- 
ter. Those whom they make prisoners, they are oblig- 
ed to tie hand and foot, and carry on a pole to a place 
of security ; if any one of them be loosed but for a mo- 
ment, he bursts away, and flees into the woods like a 
tiger, leaving his pursuers behind. They are un tamea- 
ble, either by stripes or kindness ; and, if they find no 
means of escaping from confinement, they commonly 
refuse sustenance, and die of hunger. 

The injuries occasionally done to the settlers by these 
savages have excited the attention of government, who 
have passed a decisive law against them. A proclama- 
tion has been issued by the Prince Regent, in which 
they are invited to live in villages, and become Chris- 
tians, under a promise that, if they come to terms of 
peace and amity with the Portugueze, their rights shall 
be acknowledged, and they shall enjoy, in common 
with other subjects, the protection of the state ; but if 
they persist in their barbarous and inhuman practices, 
the soldiers of His Royal Highness are ordered to carry 
on a war of extermination against them. Those who 
are taken prisoners are at the disposal of the captors, as 



Interior of brazils. 



201 



Slaves, for the space of ten years. It is doubtful whe- 
ther the offers of conciliation contained in this procla- 
mation, will produce in any degree the desired effect ; 
for the Bootocoodies have an unconquerable aversion 
to a settled way of life, and a rooted antipathy to every 
other nation ; nor have they intelligence enough, to ap- 
preciate the benefits of civilized society ; so that there 
appears no hope of reducing them, but by the dreadful 
alternative proposed in the latter part of the decree, 
One reason for having recourse to this summary mode 
of dealing with them, which will probably outweigh 
any arguments in favour of gentler proceedings, is, that 
the country they inhabit contains gold, and the settlers 
and adventurers are desirous to obtain speedy pos- 
session of it. Some officers, well acquainted with the 
locality of the territory, and skilled in the art of con* 
ducting an Indian war, are already employed in this 
difficult enterprize. About two leagues from this village 
is another called Piranga, situated near the margin of a 
river of that name, which at a distance of four leagues 
joins the San Jose, and with it forms the Rio Doce. 
This river runs through a fine country * in a northerly 
and afterwards an easterly direction, discharging itself 
into the sea in lat. 19° 30' south. There are three' 
islands at its mouth, called Os Tres Irmanos, (the 
Three Brothers.) 

Were this river rendered navigable, what benefits 
might accrue to the fine country through which it 
flows ! Large quantities of sugar, cotton, and other 
produce, which the soil is capable of growing, besides 
excellent timber for exportation, would then form the 
basis of an extensive commerce, by stimulating the in- 
flu4try of the planters, who are at present averse from 
cultivating beyond the extent of their own consumption, 
on account of the heavy expence, attendant on a land- 
carriage of above five hundred miles to the nearest sea- 
port. ' 

Piranga is perhaps vq^ie exposed io the attacks- of 
the Indians than the village of San Jose, but there are 
some gold-washL vi m its neighbourhood, which tempi 

C G 



202 



TRAVELS IN THE 



the inhabitants to brave that danger. A small band of 
horse-soldiers is stationed here to parade the confines^ 
enter the woods, and go in quest of the savages when- 
ever information is given. Yet, notwithstanding these 
precautions, the village is never in perfect security ; a 
house in its immediate vicinity was surprised a few 
months previous to our visit to this district. 

We now took leave of the vicar and his guests, and, 
I may add, of all the villagers, who came out to salute 
us as we passed. Returning to Castro, I remained the 
whole of the next day to examine the establishment. 
It is buiit, like that at Barro, in the form of a square, 
the dwellings of the negroes forming three sides, and 
the mansion the fourth, the entrance being in front 
through a pair of gates which, when shut, secure the 
whole. The rooms in the mansion were like ancient 
halls, adorned with carvings, and fitted up and furnished 
after the old fashion. Here were blunderbusses, 
swords, and other weapons for defence, used in former 
days, when the house was liable to the continual attacks 
of the Bootocoodies. The stairs, gallery, and floors 
were of fine wood, of a quality which time had not in 
any degree perceptibly injured. Attached to the house 
were the remains of a sugar-mill, distil-house, corn- 
mill, and a machine, worked by a strap and spindles, 
for spinning cotton, all in a state of neglect. The 
whole establishment bore marks of former opulence 
and grandeur, from which it appeared to have gradu- 
ally declined as the gold-washings at the confluence of 
the rivers, and in other parts had become exhausted. 
The negroes were now all removed to Barro, except a 
few infirm and sick, who were stationed here to keep 
the mansion in order, (this being considered as a light 
employment for them,) until such time as their con- 
valescence, should fit them for resuming their labours, 
along with their brethren at the Other estate. 

Having made a sketch of the house, and visited 
every part which interested me, I returned by the same 
road to Barro, where J employed myself in making a 
topographical map of the river, distinguishing by dif- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



203 



ferent colours the places already washed for gold, those 
which were then washing, and the yet un worked 
grounds. This sort of map might be made on a large 
scale, so as to include a whole district or parish, where 
the several mines, or gold-beds, in their different 
stages, might be exhibited at one view. 

On this estate are employed one hundred and fifty- 
six negroes, of ail descriptions, who, on such excellent 
land, producing every necessary for food and clothing, 
might be expected to earn considerably more than their 
own maintenance ; yet a former steward managed so ill 
for twenty successive years, that, although he had no- 
thing to purchase but a little iron, and though the gold- 
mines were then more productive than at present, he 
ran the establishment annually into debt to the shop- 
keepers of Villa Rica. A single circumstance may 
account for this mismanagement ; — the noble proprie- 
tor resided in Portugal. At present the estate is in a much 
more prosperous way, being entrusted to the care of 
another steward, and three overseers, all Creolians. The 
latter receive a salary of thirty milrees (about nine 
pounds sterling) per annum, besides their maintenance ; 
their business is to execute the orders of the steward, 
and to superintend the labour of the negroes committed 
to their charge. They lead a life of extreme indolence, 
never putting their hands to any species of work. 

The general diet of the country- people in this land 
of Canaan is somewhat similar to that of the miners in 
the vicinity of St. Paul's, already described. The 
master, his steward, and the overseers, sit down to a 
breakfast of kidney- beans of a black colour, boiled, 
which they mix with the flour of Indian corn, and eat 
with a little dry pork fried or boiled. The dinner 
generally consists, also, of a bit of pork or bacon boiled, 
the water from which is poured upon a dish of the flour 
above-mentioned, thus forming a stiff pudding. A 
large quantity (above half a peck) of this food is poured 
in a heap on the table, and a great dish of boiled beans 
is set upon it : each person helps himself in the readiest 
way, there being only one knife, which is very often 



204 



TRAVELS IN THE 



dispensed with, A plate or two of colewort or 
cabbage-leaves complete the repast. The food is com- 
monly served up in the earthen vessels used for cooking 
it ; sometimes on pewter dishes. The general beverage 
is water, At supper nothing is seen but large quan- 
tities of boiled greens, with a little bit of poor bacon to 
flavour them. On any festive occasion, or when stran- 
gers appear, the dinner or supper is improved by the 
addition of a stewed fowl. 

The food prepared for the negroes is Indian corn- 
flour, mixed with hot water, in which a bit of pork has 
been boiled This dish serves both for breakfast and 
supper. Their dinner consists of beans boiled in the 
same way. This unfortunate race of men are here 
treated with great kindness and humanity, which, in- 
deed, their good behaviour seems to deserve. They 
are allowed as much land as they can, at their leisure, 
cultivate, (Sundays and holidays being by law allotted 
to them for that purpose,) and are permitted to sell or 
dispose of their produce as they please. Their owners 
clothe them with shirts and trowsers, made of coarse 
cotton, which is grown and woven on the estate. Their 
days of labour are rather long : before sun- rise a bell 
rings to summon them to prayers, which are recited by 
one of the overseers, and repeated by the congregation ; 
after worship is over they proceed to work, at which 
they continue till after sun-set, when prayers are said 
as in the morning. An hour after supper they are em- 
ployed in preparing wood to burn, taking Indian corn 
from the husk, and in other in-door operations. Swelled 
necks are not uncommon among the men-negroes, but 
in other respects they appear healthy : I saw few or 
none afflicted with elephantiasis, or with any cutaneous 
disease. There were many very aged of both sexes ; a 
few could even remember their old master, their pos- 
sessor, though he has been dead upwards of sixty years. 

Their principal article of diet, the farinha de mielho, 
or flour of Indian corn, appeared so palatable and nu- 
tritive, that, after living upon it for some time, I had 
the curiosity to inquire into the mode of preparing it 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



205 



from the grain. It is first soaked iit water, and after- 
wards pounded in its swelled and moist state, to se- 
parate the outer husk. It then appears almost granu- 
lated, and is put upon copper pans, which have a fire 
underneath, and in these it is kept constantly stirred 
until it is dry and fit for eating. This substitute for 
bread, is as common among the inhabitants here as is 
the farinha de Pao, or mandioca among the people of 
Rio de Janeiro, St. Paul's, and other districts. 

The grain is grown always on virgin lands, cleared 
by burning, after the manner already described, In 
good seasons, or, in other words, when the dry weather 
allows the felled wood to be completely reduced to 
ashes, the return is from one hundred and fifty to two 
hundred bushels for one. Weeding is only performed 
after the seed has been a short time in the ground ; in- 
deed, the growing crops suffer less from the neglect of 
that operation, than from the depredations of rats, 
which are frequently very considerable. 

On the state of society here I had little leisure to 
make observations. A general debility seemed to pre- 
vail among the females, which I imputed to the want 
of better food and more exercise : they confine them- 
selves principally to the sedentary employments of sew- 
ing or making lace. While at St. Jose I saw many females 
from the country, dressed in gowns made of English 
prints; some of them had woollen mantles,edged with gold 
lace or Manchester velvet, thrown loosely over their 
shoulders. Their hair was invariably fastened with 
combs, and they in general wore men's hats. The 
men, most of whom belonged to the militia, appeared 
in uniforms. No two things can be more different 
than the deshabille, and full-dress of a nominal militia 
officer. When at home he seldom put on more than 
half his clothes, over which he throws an old great 
coat ; and saunters about the house in this attire from 
morning till night, a true picture of idleness. On 
Sundays, or on gala-days, after some hours spent in 
decorating his person, he sallies forth, completely me- 
tamorphosed from a slip-shod sloven into a spruce 



206 



TRAVELS IN THE 



officer, glittering in a weight of gold lace, on a horse 
caparisoned with equal splendor, forming as fine a sight, 
for the gazing multitude as a general at a review. He 
observes no medium between these extremes, being 
always very shabby or very fine. 

During my stay at Barro I was presented with some 
singularly fine fruit, equal in flavour to fresh almonds, 
and capable of being preserved by drying only, so as to 
become a valuable article of commerce. Having never 
before heard of this fruit, I am induced to give a brief 
account of it. The exterior substance is about the 
size of a full-grown cocoa-nut with the rind on, say 
nine or ten inches long and five or six in the thickest 
part. It grows suspended from the branch by a very 
slender but strong stem. This shell is full of kernels, 
to the number of from thirty to fifty, of the shape of al- 
monds, but twice or thrice the size, disposed in ranges 
or layers and separated from each other, by a white 
pithy substance. As these kernels ripen, the top of 
the shell, which appears like a lid, is gradually forced 
open, and when they are at full maturity, the larger 
part, which contains them, separates and falls to the 
ground. The trees, at the season of shedding their 
fruits, are frequented by wild hogs, herds of monkies, 
flocks of parrots, and other birds, w T hich never quit 
them while any of these delicious nuts remain. I was 
credibly informed, that some trees have been known 
to produce above a ton weight in a season. One of the 
nuts I preserved and brought with me, which I sent 
to that enlightened philosopher, and eminent naturalist 
Sir Joseph Banks. 

W e now took leave of the good people at the fazenda, 
and returned to Villa Rica by the way we came. I 
had, with great difficulty, procured a quantity of but- 
ter, made after the new process, as a present for Mr. 
Lucas, the Judge, which arrived perfectly fresh and 
sweet. On passing Lavras Velhas, as we returned, we 
were shewn some excellent cinchona, very like that of 
Peru, and said to possess similar properties in a high 
degree. From the specimen we saw, there was every 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



207 



reason to believe, that, if fairly introduced into practice, 
it might be administered in man)' cases with as much 
success as Peruvian bark ; and, as great quantities of it 
might be procured here, the experiment is certainly 
worth attending to by medical men. I sent a parcel 
of it home, but by some accident or other it was lost in 
the Custom-house. 

In many parts of our route we might have collected 
insects, but they require so much attention and care 
in preserving them for conveyance so great a distance, 
that I gave up the pursuit. It appeared to me extra- 
ordinary, that I had not, since my arrival in Brazil, 
seen (except in the cabinets of the curious) more than 
one diamond-beetle, though I had frequently searched 
for them in almost every variety of plantation. 

During my absence from Villa Rica, one of my sol- 
diers had procured me a full pound of native bismuth 
in lumps, none of which exceeded an ounce in weight. 
It is frequently found in this state covered with a yellow 
oxide, which proves that it is out of its place, as it ori- 
ginally occurs in veins. Many pieces of pyrites, and 
various iron ores, were also brought me. 

I had commissioned some persons to collect land 
shells for me during my absence, and was now to my 
great gratification presented with six, of a fine chesnut 
brown colour, with beautiful pink mouths, belonging 
tG a new variety of the helix. Having kept them a few 
days, without taking out the animals, I was surprised 
to find that one of the latter had laid two eggs. I had 
not before imagined that they were oviparous. I took 
one of the shells in my hand, while the animal was 
crawling, when it immediately folded itself, and enter- 
ed very quickly, in which exertion another egg was de- 
posited in the mouth of the shell. All the eggs were 
about the size of a sparrow's. These were the only land 
shells I had seen on this journey* 

On resuming my visit to the mint I took an early 
opportunity of stating to the acting governors my ideas 
respecting a new regulation, for supplying mercury to 
the miners. One great impediment to the use of that 



208 



TRAVELS IN THE 



metal, so essential in certain branches of the process, wa§ 
the exorbitant price at which it was exclusively sold 
by the apothecaries* generally upwards of two shillings 
the ounce. I suggested that the mint should be the 
general depository for it,and that it should be issued from 
thence, to the gold-washers without profit. By this regu- 
lation the article would be brought into general use, 
much to the benefit of the state, as well as of private in- 
dividuals. I also gave them models of earthen vessels, 
which might be made at small expence, for evaporating 
and condensing the mercury, which, if universally 
adopted would effect a great saving in the consumption 
of that article. 

The remainder of my stay, previous to my journey- 
to Tejuco, passed very agreeably. In the evening 
parties to which I was invited, and which generally com 
sisted of ladies and gentlemen, I observed that the 
English style of dress prevailed, particularly among 
the former. The houses of the higher classes in Villa 
Rica are much more convenient and better furnished 
than any I saw in Rio de Janeiro and St. Paul's, and 
are for the most part kept in the exactest order. Their 
beds seemed to me so elegant as to deserve a particular 
description The posts were of fine wood, fluted or 
carved in various ways ; the sides plain, the bottoms of 
boards or leather. The bed itself was of cotton, the 
sheets of fine linen edged with lace of home manufac- 
ture, full nine inches broad. The bolster was covered 
with fine muslin, the ends of which were edged also 
with lace. The piilows were made round at the ends 
and covered with pink sarsnet, over which was another 
cover of fine muslin, terminated with broad lace, which 
being starched and delicately managed had a very rich 
appearance. The coverlet was yellow satin of a Da- 
mask pattern, edged like the sheets and pillows with 
broad lace. The hangings were of the same materials, 
in the form of a canopy, without curtains. Not ex- 
cepting the refinements of recent date in this article of 
furniture, I never saw beds so magnificent as those of 
the opulent in this captaincy. 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 209 

Every thing being now in readiness for my departure, 
I waited upon the several inhabitants to whom I had 
been introduced, to express my thanks for the polite at- 
tentions they had shewn me, and received from them 
the most obliging assurances of friendship, and the 
kindest wishes for my welfare. I also, much to my re- 
gret, took leave of my valued friend and fellow-traveller 
Mr. Goodall, whose affairs required him to go to St. 
Joao del Rev, and thence return to Rio de Janeiro. 
Never was a traveller more fortunate in a companion ; 
always cheerful and in spirits, he had the happy faculty 
of regarding every thing on its bright side, and in all 
the various inconveniences of bad roads, wretched inns, 
miserable fare, and worse accommodations, he exempli- 
fied the truth of the adage that " a merry heart hath a 
continual feast." Being perfectly master of the language, 
and well acquainted with the character, and manners of 
the people, he made himself at home every where, and 
generally contrived to draw from the conversation of 
those around him some topic either for lively remark or 
instructive comment. These amiable qualities, the oftr 
spring of a cultivated understanding and an excellent 
heart, gave him a double claim to that respect and con- 
fidence, which we ever entertain for those, whom we 
distinguish by the name of friend* 



D r 



TRAVELS IN THE 



CHAPTER XII. 

Journey from Villa Rica to Tejtico, the Capital of tlis 
Diamond District* 



HAVING previously sent letters to his Excellency 
the Conde de Linhares, giving him an account of 
my proceedings, I set out from Villa Rica, attended by 
the two soldiers and my negro servant. I passed through 
the city of Mariana, and entered upon the plain in its 
vicinity already mentioned, which in the rainy season 
is often entirely overflowed. To the left I observed a 
beautiful and romantic mountain called Moro de Santa 
Ana, on which stood many small neat houses, sur- 
rounded by coffee-plantations, and orangeries ; its base 
was watered by a corvinha or rivulet, the banks of which 
contain much gold, and are worked by the inhabitants 
of the mount. Passing onward, the road became very con- 
fined ; and the land, though now covered with wood, ap- 
peared to have been formerly under cultivation. We here 
met a number of mules laden with sugar, destined for 
Villa Rica, or if not sold there, for Rio de Janeiro. 

We arrived and refreshed at a little village called Ca- 
inargo, and passed an excellent house, situated near a 
rivulet of that name, where there is a gold -washing 
which employs about two hundred negroes, and is suid 
to be very productive. About a league farther we 
passed a poor little place called Bento Rocrigo, and 
about six in the evening arrived at a very considerable 
village called Infectionado, which contains full fifteen 
hundred inhabitants. It had been more populous, but 
its mines having decreased, it was then on the decline. 
Finding no inn that offered any thing tolerable, I alighted 
at the house of a shopkeeper, who very civilly provided 
me an apartment to sleep in, and introduced me at sup- 
per to his wife and three other ladies, whose society was 
"eery pleasant, and cheerful. On the next day, after some 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



211 



trouble, my soldiers at a late hour procured mules, when 
I set out about ten o'clock, upon a bad road, and after 
travelling half a league, arrived at the Corgo de Infec- 
tionado, a fine rivulet flowing through a country ricli in 
gold, particularly near the village of Santa Barbara, 
where washings appear in all directions. From hence 
to the village of Catos Altos, two leagues distant, is a 
tract of the finest open country I ever travelled in Brazil ; 
it has many features resembling that between Matlock 
and Derby, and its mountains bear a strong similarity 
to those of Westmoreland. There are slips in some of 
them in which topazes are found, but rarely any of good 
quality. This district appeared equally suited for min- 
ing and agriculture, the ground being rich above as well 
as below. The village of Catos Altos, through which 
we rode, contains at least two thousand inhabitants, and 
is situated in a populous neighbourhood. The public 
buildings are well constructed, and the private houses 
in general appear very respectable, but bear evident 
marks of decay. We crossed the river, which is broad, 
but shallow, and has works on its banks of greater ex- 
tent, and under better management than any I had 
hitherto seen. The whole vicinity is irrigated by nume- 
rous rivulets, many of which are diverted from their 
courses to a great distance, for the purpose of gold- 
washing. In all parts, even on the tops and sides of 
the hills, we observed operations of this kind going on ; 
in the valleys there were many spots still rich in gold., 
which had not yet been washed. 

Continuing about six miles over this naked country,, 
we entered on a more confined road, and passing a vil- 
lage called Cocaes, proceeded half a league further in 
the dark, to the mansion of Senhor Felicia, the Captain 
Mor of the district, where we alighted, having travelled 
this day above thirty miles. On being announced, I 
was immediately shewn up stairs, into a suite of hand- 
some apartments, furnished with great magnificence, 
where I was introduced by the Captain to his amiable 
lady and daughter. We were joined by Dr. Gomedez, 
a man of talents and science, with whom I entered into 



TRAVELS IN THE 



conversation, and who afterwards showed me a fine col- 
lection of gold in various forms, some like duck- shot, 
others laminated with micaceous iron, others arborescent. 
He had also some specimens of stalactitic matter, on 
which nitre was forming others of specular iron ore, 
and three or four fine pieces of chrome, which I at first 
took for realgar. From this gentleman I received con- 
siderable information respecting the mineralogy of the 
country, which is so difficult to be obtained accurate, 
that I found reason to reject all which did not corres- 
pond with what I saw. In the course of the evening 
the party was joined by the Count de Engenhausen, 
who commands a corps of cavalry in the district. He 
made many enquiries of me respecting England, that 
being the country in which he had received his educa- 
tion, and to which he seemed as much attached as to his 
native soil. 

This large establishment, though still rich in gold, is 
worked by only two hundred negroes. One part of the 
estate is an auriferous mountain of schistus, containing 
beds of micaceous iron ore ; the latter substance forms 
a thin stratum, which contains gold in grains laminated 
with it. It is singular to remark, that the cascalhao, 
which generally, nay almost invariably, occurs in ra- 
vines and low situations is here found at a very small 
depth below the summit. 

The discovery of the original gold-mine in this rich 
sesmaria is said to have been owing to the following ac- 
cident. Some negroes employed in clearing the lands 
broke up an ant-hill of considerable size, when on lay- 
ing it open to the air, for the purpose of destroying or 
dispersing the insects, large grains of gold were found. 
It is, however, highly probable that the general charac- 
teristics of the soil, had led to the discovery long before 
this period, and that the accident here related, served 
only to indicate the presence of gold, in a part which 
had not been supposed to contain any. The estate is 
situated almost in the centre of the minine country, and 
is reputed one of the richest portions of it. The owner 
and his brother, who are partners, have conducted their 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



213 



concerns in a liberal way, and are said to be very weal- 
thy. It was my wish to have staid a day or two, for 
the purpose of inspecting the extensive works, which 
they have opened ; but I forbore to make any request 
of this nature, as I perceived, or supposed, some little 
jealousy or suspicion respecting my views. It seemed to 
be the opinion here, as well as in other places, that I had 
a mission from Government, authorizing me to enquire 
into the state of the mines, and give a report concerning 
them. 

In riding past the works, after having taken leave of 
the captain, I did not perceive any machinery used, for 
facilitating manual labour. The tedious process of 
washing by hand was most generally practised ; in some 
instances inclined canoes were used, which, if carried 
to the degree of improvement, of which they are suscepti- 
ble, might much more effectually answer the purpose. 

Between the mountain on Captain Felicia's estate, and 
the village of Sabara, is a rich mining district, which 
extends also to Brcmare, over a continuation of hilly 
country. It is occupied by several opulent miners, who 
possess many fine grounds still unworked. A tract of 
land, a few miles in extent is appropriated to agricul- 
tural purposes, being reputed to be destitute of gold. 

I proceeded four leagues, over a well- watered,- and 
finely- wooded country, to a hamlet called Vas, a name 
which had become familiar to my ear through the fre- 
quent mention which my soldiers made of " the good 
old man of Vas." This person, whose reception of me 
fully justified the appellation with which he had been 
distinguished, was a farmer from Oporto, who had been 
resident here about forty years. He bought the estate 
with twenty negroes upon it, and paid for it by yearly 
instalments in twenty years afterwards. This mode of 
disposing of estates is much practised, being at once 
easy to the purchaser, and advantageous to the seller, as 
it ensures to the latter a better price than he could ob- 
tain, on the condition of immediate payment. The 
house, which is weii-buik, and convenient, has a sugar- 
mill and distillery attached to it, The sugar is gene- 



214 



TRAVELS IN THE 



rally sent to Rio, under an agreement with the carrier^ 
giving him half or sometimes two- thirds of the proceeds, 
with a promise of back-carriage of salt, iron, and other 
commodities. 

Owing to the kind assiduities of my worthy host, 
the evening passed very agreeably. Many of the neigh- 
bours came to see and converse with me, as I was the 
first Englishman, or perhaps foreigner, who had ever 
travelled so far into the interior. Their curiosity led 
them to examine almost every implement I carried with 
me ; my saddle, bridle, and stirrups were viewed with 
great attention ; nor could they imagine how it was 
possible to sit in the former, with any degree of safety. 
There was no convincing them that it was much prefer- 
able to the Portugueze saddle, which has a ridge about 
eight inches high, both before and behind, so that the 
rider is, as it were, in the stocks, and, though not so 
liable to be thrown out, has a most galling and uncom- 
fortable seat. 

The next morning I visited the negroes' houses, and 
was much pleased to find one set apart for the reception 
of poor and distressed travelling negroes, who here find 
a fatherly protection, and are allowed to stay as long a 
time as may suit their necessities. On taking leave of 
the good old gentleman, I could not prevail on him to 
accept any remuneration for his kindness, and he replied 
to my thanks with the warmest assurances of welcome. 
I crossed a fine stream, and rode through several plan- 
tations of sugar-cane, which where at this season nearly 
ready for cutting. The country, as we proceeded, gra- 
dually became more mountainous, and abounded with 
argillaceous schistus very full of quartz. After riding 
about sixteen miles, we saw a very singular mountain, 
or bare rock of granite, called Itambe, forming part of 
a high ridge which lay on our left. About four o'clock 
we arrived at a poor village, also called Itambe, situated 
near a fine river of the same name. This place was 
formerly of some consequence, but as the gold in its 
vicinity failed, it sunk into poverty and wretchedness. It 
contains about a thousand inhabitants, who, degraded to 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



215 



the lowest stage of inactive apath\ , looked as if they were 
the ghosts of their progenitors, haunting the ruins of 
their departed wealth. 

Every thing about them bore a cheerless aspect ; the 
houses were ready to fall to the ground through want of 
repair ; the door-places were overgrown with grass, and 
the patches of garden- ground that here and there ap- 
peared, were covered with weeds. The face of the 
country, too, was entirely different from that which I 
had passed, on my way hither, being universally sterile, 
dry, and stony. It may well be supposed, from this 
description, that our accommo lations here were of the 
worst kind : we halted at a miserable abode, where 
they offered us some mouldy Indian corn and feijones, 
and, after a great deal of difficulty, procured us a fowl. 
My servant was obliged to clean all the utensils, before 
they could be used; and the soldiers, while cooki g, 
were obliged to guard the pot lest some half-famished 
prowler should steal it. The commandant of the place, 
with whom we had afterwards some conversation, an- 
swered our remarks on the visible signs of starvation, 
in the looks of the villagers, by coolly saying, " While 
they get Indian corn to eat, and water to drink, they 
will not die of hunger." I was glad to depart from 
this home of famine, as fast as possible, heartily joining 
in the exclamation which the Portugueze have bestowed 
upon it : " De las miserias de Itambe Senhor nos libre," 
— (From the miseries of Itambe the Lord deliver us!) 

After riding about five miles, we came to the River 
of Ounces, so named from the numbers of those animals, 
which formerly infested its banks. Changing our mules 
at a village called Lagos, consisting of a few miserable 
fazendas, we proceeded a league, over a most rugged 
and mountainous road, and passing a ridge, entered on 
a fine country, presenting to view, a grand picturesque 
mountain nearly a league distant from us ; about mid- 
way up was a large housej to which we directed our 
course. We forded a rather deep river called Rio Ne- 
gro, on account of the bl-.ekness of its waters, caused 
by the decomposition of bituminous, or vegetable matter. 



216 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Its margin, along which we rode for some distance, 
presented some fine grazing land. Passing through a 
broken, and irregular tract of country, we arrived at 
another deserted village called Gaspar Suares, and rode 
up to the house above-mentioned, the owner of which 
was from home, but his lady received me very politely. 
Having arrived rather early in the evening, I employed 
myself some time in walking about the grounds : the 
mountain on which the house stands consists, almost en- 
tirely of micaceous iron ore ;* the wall before the door 
of the house was built of that substance. In some parts, 
to my great surprise, I observed it lying in regular 
strata, not more than an inch in thickness, between 
beds of white sand. The quantity of ore found in this 
neighbourhood is so considerable, as to have induced 
Government to commence an iron- work, under the di- 
rection of Mr. Fernando de Camara, Intendant of the 
Diamond District. In aid of this undertaking, the gen- 
tleman, at whose house I was a guest, has presented a 
square league of wood -land, the only tract of that de- 
scription in the neighbourhood. The ground for the 
intended works is marked out, and a few blocks of stone 
are prepared ; but the undertaking seems to go on very 
slowly, and probably will not arrive at any great degree 
of perfection. 

This hill, and the streams near it, were formerly rich 
in gold, but they have been completely washed, and are 
at present as much exhausted as the works at Itambe. 
A rivulet which runs over the top of the hill, afforded 
conveniences for washing, which are very rarely to be 
met with ; it is now intended to be converted to the use 
of the iron manufactory. 

On the following day I continued my route nor- 
therly, over a fine country, and, after riding, or rather 
walking, about six miles of bad road, with wretched 
mules, ascended a hill abounding with rich compact iron 
ore. Two leagues of the way were covered with excellent 



This substance contains fine-formed octaedral crystals of magnetic iron. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



217 



oxide of iron, and it appeared, as if the hills were en~ 
tirely covered with that substance. Without any ma- 
terial occurrence, we arrived at a beautiful rivulet, near 
which stood a miserable hut, where two women were 
weaving cotton. This place, apparently so insignifi- 
cant, proved one of the most interesting, in a minera- 
logical point of view, which J had hitherto visited. It 
is called Largos, and also bears the name of Oro Branco 
(White Gold,) in allusion to a granular substance, not 
unlike gold in size and weight, found in a gold- wash- 
ing in the bed of the stream. This substance, which 
has since been proved to be platina, was discovered 
many years ago, in the cascalhao below the vegetable 
earth, and incumbent on the solid rock, accompanied 
with gold, and black oxide of iron. From these cir- 
cumstances the people judged it to be gold united with 
some other metal, from which it could not be separated ; 
and, as the quantity of real gold found was small, and 
the white gold, as they called it, was not known to be of 
value, the work was gradually neglected, and at length 
abandoned. I procured a specimen of the substance : 
it appeared accompanied with osmium and iridium, 
and was in rougher grains than the platina brought from 
the province of Choco ; which latter circumstance may 
be owing to its not having been triturated with mer- 
cury. Now that the substance is known to be pla- 
tina, it is doubtful whether the work might be resumed 
with advantage, as the demand for that article is at pre- 
sent so small, that the quantity sold, would hardly pay 
expences. Near this place is a work called Mata 
Cavalhos. 

The rivulet of Largos empties itself into the Rio de 
St. Antonio, along which we rode a small distance, and, 
proceeding about four miles farther, arrived at Concep- 
cao, a large and tolerably handsome village. I was 
conducted to the house of the curate, who kindly as- 
signed to me an apartment for the night, and, perceiv- 
ing that I was unwell, gave me an invitation to rest a 
day, which I very gladly aocepted. 

i here received many visits from the villagers, whose 
E £ 



218 



TRAVELS IN THE 



curiosity had been excited by the news of an English- 
man having arrived : some of them were upwards of 
eighty years of age, and, as they had resided here more 
than fifty, they were able to give many curious accounts 
of the country, and of the progress and decline of its 
mines. I was much pleased with the information they 
communicated, but more so with the attention of the 
good curate, who corrected every misrepresentation, 
and seemed anxious that I should not be led into er- 
ror, either through accident or design. By some means 
or other, an opinion circulated among them, that I was 
a physician, and numbers of infirm persons, principal- 
ly old men, women, and children, were brought tome 
for advice. In the evening we were entertained with 
music, by some of the younger females, who brought 
their guitars, and sung several pleasing airs. 

I was here shewn a Bootocoody Indian boy, appa- 
rently about nine years of age, who had been taken 
about six months before* He could not utter a word 
of Portugueze ; but, from the expression of his coun- 
tenance, he seemed capable of being taught any thing, 
His eyes had so much vivacity in them, that they almost 
spoke, especially when his attention was attracted by 
any thing agreeable, as I found by offering him a few 
sweetmeats, with which he seemed much delighted. I 
examined his features, and the construction of his frame 
with some curiosity, as exhibiting the characteristics 
of the singular race of men, from whom he sprung. — 
The face was short, the mouth rather wide, the nose 
broad, the eyes large and black, skin of a dusky cop- 
per-colour, hair jet black, strong, straight, and of regu- 
lar length, limbs stout and well-proportioned, feet large, 
probably from going without shoes. He lived with a 
poor woman, who clothed and brought him up exactly 
as one of her family. On enquiring how he came 
there, I was informed that he belonged to a party of 
Indians who were surprised at a place about six leagues 
distant, and all either fell or escaped, except this little 
fellow, who was taken care of, and brought hither by 
an officer resident in the village. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



219 



Being still too unwell to travel, I remained another 
day, and met with every attention and care from the 
good clergyman and his house -keeper. In the course 
of conversation, he informed me that he studied and 
had been ordained at St. Paul's ; and when he learnt 
that I had been there so recently, seemed much pleas- 
ed, and asked me many questions respecting the pres- 
ent state of that city, which shewed his attachment to it 
as the scene of his youthful days. 

About a week previous to my arrival, this village 
was the scene of a somewhat remarkable adventure. A 
tropero* going to Rio de Janeiro with some loaded 
mules, was overtaken by two cavalry soldiers, who or- 
dered him to surrender his fowling-piece ; which being 
done, they bored the butt-end with a gimblet, and find- 
ing it hollow, took off the iron from the end, where 
they found a cavity containing about three hundred 
carats of diamonds, which they immediately seized. 
The man in vain protested his innocence, stating that 
he had bought the gun of a friend : he was hurried 
away, and thrown into prison at Tejuco, where I after- 
wards saw him. The diamonds were confiscated, and 
the soldiers received half their value. The fate of this 
man is a dreadful instance, of the rigour of the existing 
laws : he will forfeit all his property, and be confined, 
probably, for the remainder of his days, in a loathsome 
prison, among felons and murderers. What must be 
the feelings (if, indeed, he can be said to possess any) 
of the man who betrayed him ; for, doubtless, the poor 
fellow owed his misfortune to some secret villain, in 
the shape of a confidential friend, who, having learned 
his mode of carrying diamonds concealed, had, for the 
sake of a paltry premium, or from some mean-spirited 
motive, given notice of it to Government ! How must 
the miscreant recoil at having brought to irreparable 
ruin, and plunged into that lowest state of human mise- 



* An owner of mules, who travels with a number of them, carrying goods 
for other persons, as well as on his own account 



220 TRAVELS IN THE 

/ 

ry, perpetual imprisonment, a man who not only claim- 
ed his sympathy, as a fellow creature, but was united 
to him by the ties of friendship ! 

The village of Concepcao seemed to me large enough 
to contain two thousand inhabitants, but, like most 
others in this exhausted district, it was fast hastening 
to decay. The rent of a tolerable house is about two 
shillings a month. The only manufacture carried on 
here is that of a little cotton, which is spun by the hand, 
and woven into coarse shirting. It appears to be a 
maxim among the inhabitants, rather to go naked, than 
labour to clothe themselves. The vestiges of old gold- 
washings in every direction, and the slight quantities still 
found in all parts, from the summits of the mountains 
to their bases, might almost lead a traveller to conclude, 
that the whole country was at one period auriferous. 
The surface is in general fine red earth, and in many 
parts presents fine situations for iron- works, as there is 
ore and wood in abundance. It is much to be wished 
that such works were established ; for iron is so dear 
at Concepcao, and the people in general so poor, that 
the mules have seldom a shoe to their feet, which is 
irksome to the riders, and dangerous to the animals 
themselves, as they are continually coming down, par- 
ticularly when ascending a clay-hill, after a shower of 
rain. 

Neither here, nor in any other part of my journey 
from Villa Rica, did I observe any limestone, though I 
was informed that considerable quantities were found 
near Sahara. 

Taking leave of the worthy curate, I set out for 
Tapinha-canga,* distant about thirty miles. After an 
unpleasant ride through a rough stony country, abound- 
ing in quartz laminated with schistus, I reached a vil- 
lage called Corvos, where there are some gold-wash- 
ings, one of which produced, about half a year ago, a 



* Canga is the name of ferruginous quarts, fragments of which abound in 
this town, and are used for paving the streets. 



INTERIOR OF BRx\ZILS. 



221 



net profit of 8001., though only four negroes were em- 
ployed a month upon it. The road to the village above- 
mentioned led through a most uneven tract, presenting 
formidable precipices, which required us to travel with 
so much caution, that we did not complete our journey 
until an hour after sun-set. I was received into a very 
respectable house, which had the appearance of former 
opulence. The owner, Captain Bom Jarden, a vene- 
rable old gentleman, came to welcome me : on enter- 
ing into conversation, he informed me that he had emi- 
grated hither from Oporto at the age of seventeen, and 
had lived here sixty-two years. He was tempted to 
settle here by the hope of participating in the rich trea- 
sures for which the country was then famed ; but he 
arrived two or three years too late ; the mines were al- 
ready on the decline, and he was obliged to turn his 
attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he perse- 
vered with such success that he was enabled to realize 
a comfortable independency, and to bring up a nume- 
rous family in credit and respectability. It had been 
well if his neighbours had profited by so eminent an 
example, instead of deserting the country when the 
gold on its surface disappeared. That many did so was 
evident from the declining state of the village ; a great 
number of its houses were falling to decay, others were 
untenanted, and its population, which formerly amount- 
ed to near three thousand, was dwindled to a third of 
that amount. 

Continuing my journey next day, I crossed the ridge 
of a lofty chain of mountains, abounding with streams, 
that were much swoln in consequence of the late rains ; 
one of the largest, called Rio dos Peches, I forded 
thrice, and entered on a wide champaign country. In 
many parts J saw large tracts of bare places, where the 
grit-stone alternated with argillaceous schistus. The 
next ten miles led through an elevated and fertile plain, 
intersected with rivulets in every direction, and well 
calculated for farming, but very thinly inhabited. 
Early in the afternoon I reached an eminence, from 
which I had a fine view of Villa do Principe, situated 



222 



TRAVELS IN THE 



on the rise of a lofty hill opposite, the base of which 
was washed by a rivulet called Corvinha de Quatro 
Vengtems** On arriving in town, I was conducted to 
the house of the governor, or chief magistrate, who re- 
ceived me very politely, and introduced me to his lady 
and a 'party of friends, with whom i took tea. 

Villa do Principe was established as a comarco, or 
district, in the year 1730, when the gold- washings 
were most productive : but it dates its origin fifteen 
years earlier, at which period the place was discovered 
by the Paulistas, who had then commenced to migrate 
from Villa Rica and the adjacent settlements. The town 
at present contains about five thousand inhabitants, the 
most considerable proportion of whom are shop-keepers, 
and the rest artisans, farmers, miners, and labourers. 
/Here is a house of permutation, to which every miner 
I in the district brings the gold he obtains, and pays the 
the royal fifth, as is done in Villa Rica. The ouvidor 
holds the office of mint-master, which renders his situa- 
tion one of the best gifts of the crown. Here are seve- 
ral inferior officers belonging to various departments 
of the public service. As this town is situated very 
near the confines of the Diamond District, and on the 
high road leading to it, the strictest regulations prevail 
respecting the passage of all persons thither. No one, 
except travellers on business, with certificates to that 
effectj is suffered to proceed, until a formal notification 
has been made to the governor of that district ; the 
laws of which are so strict, that any person found with- 
in it, out of the regular road, is liable to be apprehend- 
ed on suspicion, and subjected to an examination, 
which frequently occasions much trouble and delay. 



* Four vengtems are nearly equal to a shilling of our money. When this 
rivulet was first washed for gold, the quantity produced by each gamella 
amounted in value to that sum. As the cascalhao then lay near the surface, 
and required very little trouble to get at, one washer could clear about 
twelve bowls-full per hour, which was considered a comparatively rich 
return. 

In the mines they have two methods of estimating the quantity produced .- 
for example ; Quatro Vengtems here mean four vengtems of gold, which is 
equal to eight of copper; whereas, in Rio de Janeiro, the same expression 
implies four vengtems of copper. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



223 



The country around Villa do Principe is very fine 
and open, being free from those impenetrable woods, 
which occur so frequently in other parts of the province. 
Its soil is in general very productive, and the climate 
mild and salubrious. 

At a washing about six leagues distant, a lump of 
gold was found of several pounds weight. From the 
same place I procured some above two ounces, and 
obtained the large crystals now in my possession, one 
of which is considered as unique. 

I quitted Villa do Principe about noon on the day 
following, after making my acknowledgments for the 
polite attentions of the governor, who kindly sent a 
servant to attend me the first league of the road. This 
man I commissioned, under a promise of pecuniary re- 
compence, to collect for me land-shells and insects, 
against my return, which I expected would take place 
in two or three months ; and, from the aptness with 
which he received my directions, (joined to the pros- 
pect of emolument,) I had little doubt that he would 
attend to them. 

As we journeyed on, I perceived that the country 
bore an aspect entirely different from that in the neigh- 
bourhood of Villa do Principe : its surface, consisting 
of coarse sand and rounded quartz pebbles, was almost 
destitute of wood or herbage. One hillock near the 
road exhibited perpendicular laminas of micaceous grit> 
which, on alighting from my horse and examining, I 
found to be flexible. My soldier, hearing me remark 
that the country bore characteristics which I had never 
observed elsewhere, exclaimed, " Senhor, we are in the 
Diamond District." This circumstance, which I had 
not before thought of, fully accounted for the change. 
We travelled over a very sterile country for the first 
four leagues, and passed several high mountains. To- 
wards the close of the day we reached an eminence, 
from which we beheld a most romantic cluster of 
dwellings, resembling a labyrinth, or a negroes- town 
in Africa. We descended the hill, and approached the 



224 



TRAVELS IN THE 



place ; when, it being nearly dark, I was conducted to a 
house much larger than any of the others, where I 
learnt that the establishment was a diamond- work called 
San Gonzales, the first which occurs in the Cerro do 
Frio. It has been some time on the decline, and em- 
ploys about 200 negroes. The intendant, a very in- 
telligent man, had been apprised of our coming by a 
letter from the governor at Tejuco, and gave me a very 
friendly reception. While engaged in conversation 
with him, 1 observed (it being now moon-light) some 
fine cows in front of the premises, and concluded that 
they were come to be milked, but this I understood 
was not the case. They were licking the door-posts 
and sides of the houses with much apparent eagerness, 
and, on enquiring what this signified, I was told that 
they wanted salt They were so tame and gentle that, 
on holding out my hand, they licked it ; when, being 
desirous to see the effect which salt produced on them, 
I procured some, and gave them a handful : but they 
became so very unruly for more, that had I not imme- 
diately desisted and retired, their fury might have pro- 
duced serious consequences. — This article is so ne- 
cessary for the support of the cattle, that their very 
existence depends on it, yet it is encumbered with a 
heavier duty than any other article of import, . iron alone 
excepted. Surely, when it is considered that vast herds 
are daily sent from this province to Rio de Janeiro, each 
paying a toll of nearly twelve shillings on crossing the 
river Paraibuna, the impolicy of this duty must be self- 
evident, because, in raising the price of the commodity 
to an excessive degree, it checks the breed of cattle, 
and thus ultimately defeats the purpose for which it 
was imposed. 

The next day, before we left this romantic place, I devot- 
ed some time to an examination of the refuse-hillocks 
contiguous to the diamond works, but found nothing 
among the heaps of quartzose stones, which had been 
washed when this place was more in repute. I here 
noticed a thin stratum below the roots of the grass, 
which I had elsewhere seen, but never so distinctly 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



225 



characteristic. It is called burgalhac, and consists of 
quartz pebbles, generally angular, and not unfrequently 
large beds of solid quartz not more than four or five 
inches thick. This stratum does not appear to have 
been formed at the same time or by the same means 
as the cascalhao, from which it is invariably separated by 
a stratum of vegetable earth unequal in thickness ; it 
has more the appearance of a thin bed of quartz subse- 
quently shattered into innumerable fragments. 

Having taken leave of the administrator, I proceeded 
through a continuation of mountainous and sterile 
country, very thinly inhabited. 1 stopt at one of the 
best of the few miserable houses on the road to pro- 
cure some refreshment. There was a half-starved cat 
in the door-way, the sight of which plainly evinced to 
me what I had to expect. Poor animal, thought I, the 
habitation in which thou existest, will not afford main- 
tenance for a mouse, much less for thee ! While 
musing on this picture of distress and famine, a poor 
meagre woman came to the door, of whom I requested 
a little water, which she brought me, and while I was 
drinking it she began to implore charity. Her coun- 
tenance had already expressed what her tongue now 
uttered : I gave her the few provisions my soldiers had 
with them, together with a small piece of money, and 
took leave ; — the last words I heard from her were those 
of gratitude. 

Ere we arrived at this place, we had seen Tejuco at 
full twelve miles distance, and were now much nearer. 
We crossed two rapid rivulets, one of them called Rio 
Negro, the waters of which were of a very black colour, 
and afterwards passed a guard-house, or register, called 
Mielho Verde, situated near a stream of the same name, 
formerly much noted for diamonds. Here a band of 
soldiers are stationed, who were always on the alert,, 
riding after and examining passengers. The country 
is extremely rough, and destitute of vegetation, cover- 
ed in all directions with grit-stone rocks full of round- 
ed quartzose pebbles. We rode two miles along the 
Corvinha de St. Francisco, which runs through the 
ravine at the foot of the mountain on the side of which 

F? 



226 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Tejuco is built, presenting much the same appearance 
as Villa Rica. I entered the town, and took up my 
abode at the best inn, which contained some neat rooms, 
and afforded tolerable accommodations. 

This was Sunday the 17th of September, being one 
month since my departure from Rio de Janeiro, during 
which time I had been almost continually on horseback ; 
for the time I remained at Villa Rica was principally 
occupied in journeys to various places in the neigh, 
bourhood. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



227 



CHAP. XIII. 



Visit to the Diamond Works on the River Jigitonhonha. — 
General Description of the Works. — Mode of Wash- 
ing,> — Return to Tejuco. — Visit to the Treasury. — • 
Excursion to Rio Pardo* — Miscellaneous Remarks, 

TH E continual fatigues, and want of accommoda- 
tion on the journey, had rendered me very unwell, 
and I was therefore desirous of resting a week at Te- 
juco before I proceeded to the diamond mines ; but, 
learning that I had been expected for the last two or 
three days, I sent one of my soldiers up to the house 
of Mr. Fernando de Camara, the governor, to announce 
my arrival, and to state that I was prevented by indis- 
position from personally paying my respects to him. 
He immediately came with a few friends to visit me, 
gave me a most hearty welcome to Tejuco, and staid 
with me at least three hours. I delivered to him my 
public and private letters, passports, and other creden- 
tials, which he perused with great satisfaction, observ- 
ing to the Ouvidor and his friends, that I possessed the 
same privileges which they did, having permission 
from the court to see every place I wished, which they 
were directed to shew me. He then told me that, in 
expectation of my arrival, he had delayed a journey to 
the greatest of the diamond works, called Mandanga, 
situated on the river Jigitonhonha, which employs about 
a thousand negroes, and on particular occasions double 
that number. He was desirous that I should see this 
great work with all the machinery in operation, which 
would be very speedily removed, the late rains having 
swoln the river so much as to render working more, 
impracticable. He therefore kindly invited me to 
breakfast at his house on the following morning when 
he would have all in readiness for a journey of abeut 
thirty miles to the place above-mentioned, 



228 



TRAVELS IN THE 



At an early hour I arose ; and, though so unwell as 
to be scarcely more than half alive, I could not resist the 
favourable opportunity now offered me of gratifying 
the curiosity which had so long occupied my mind, by 
visiting the diamond mines, in company with the prin- 
cipal officer in the administration of them, who was 
therefore qualified to furnish me with the amplest infor- 
mation. A fine horse was waiting for me at the door, 
and I rode up to the house of the governor, who intro- 
duced me to his amiable lady, daughters, and family, 
with whom I had the honour to take breakfast. Se- 
veral officers of the diamond establishment arrived on 
horseback to accompany us, their presence being requir- 
ed on this occasion. 

At nine o'clock we set out, and crossed the ravine, 
watered by the small rivulet of St. Francisco, which 
separates Tejuco from the opposite mountains. The 
road was very rough and uneven, continually ascending 
or descending mountains of considerable extent, the 
strata of which were grit alternating with micaceous 
schistus, and presenting an immense quantity of rude 
masses, composed of grit and rounded quartz, forming 
a loose and friable kind of pudding-stone. The coun- 
try appeared almost destitute of wood, presenting occa- 
sionally a few poor shrubs ; there were no cattle to be 
seen, yet some of the tracts would certainly maintain 
sheep in great numbers. Having halted at a place 
about half way, we descended a very steep mountain, 
full a mile in the declivity, and entered a ravine where 
we crossed a very good wooden bridge over the river 
Jigitonhonha, which is larger than the Derwent at 
Derby. We rode along its margin, where the land 
appears much richer, presenting a good vegetable soil 
covered with underwood ; and, proceeding about a 
league, arrived at the famed place called Mandanga. 
The habitations, which are about one hundred in num- 
ber, are built detached, and are generally of a circular 
form, with very high thatched roofs, like African huts, 
but much larger. The walls are formed of upright 
stakes, interwoven with small branches and coated with 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



229 



clay inside and out. The houses of the officers are of 
the same materials, but of much more convenient form, 
and whitewashed within. Near some of the houses 
we observed inclosures for gardens, which, in some de- 
gree, enlivened the prospect, and gave an air of comfort 
to these rude and simple dwellings. 

I remained here five days, during which I was oc- 
cupied in viewing and examining various parts of the 
works, of which 1 shall here attempt to give a general 
description. 

This rich river, formed by the junction of a number 
of streams which will be hereafter noted, is as wide as 
the Thames as Windsor, and in general from three to 
nine feet deep. The part now in working is a curve or 
elbow, from which the current is diverted into a canal 
cut across the tongue of land round which it winds, the 
river being stopped just below the head of the canal by 
an embankment formed of several thousand bags of 
sand. This is a work of considerable magnitude, and 
requires the co-operation of all the negroes to complete 
it ; for, the river being wide and not very shallow, and 
also occasionally subject to overflows, they have to 
make the embankment so strong as to resist the pressure 
of the water, admitting it to rise four or five feet. 

The deeper parts of the channel of the river are laid 
dry by means of large caissons or chain-pumps, work- 
ed by a water- wheel. The mud is then carried off, and 
the cascalhao is dug up and removed to a convenient 
place for washing. This labour was until lately, per- 
formed by the negroes, who carried the cascalhao in 
gamellas on their heads, but Mr. Camara has formed 
two inclined planes about one hundred yards in length, 
along which carts are drawn by a large water-wheel di- 
vided into two parts, the ladles or buckets of which are 
so constructed that the rotatory motion may be altered 
by changing the current of water from one side to the 
other ; this wheel, by means of a rope made of untann- 
ed hides, works two carts, one of which descends 
empty on one inclined plane, while the other, loaded 
with cascalhao, is drawn to the top of the other, where 



230 



TRAVELS IN THE 



it falls into a cradle, empties itself, and descends in its 
turn. At a work called Canjeca, formerly of great 
importance, about a mile up the river on the opposite 
side, there are three cylindrical engines for drawing the 
cascalhao, like those used in the mining country of 
Derbyshire, and also rail-ways over some uneven 
ground. This was the first and only machinery of con- 
sequence which I saw in the diamond district, and 
there appear many obstacles to the general introduction 
of it. Timber, when wanted of large size, has to be 
fetched a distance of one hundred miles at a very heavy 
expence ; there are few persons competent to the con- 
struction of machines, and the workmen dislike to make 
them, fearing that this is only part of a general plan for 
superseding manual labour. 

The stratum of cascalhao consists of the same mate- 
rials, with that in the gold district. On many parts, 
by the edge of the river, are large conglomerate masses 
of rounded pebbles cemented by oxide of iron, which 
sometimes envelop gold and diamonds. They calcu- 
late on getting as much cascalhao in the dry season as 
will occupy all their hands during the months which are 
more subject to rain. When carried from the bed of 
the river whence it is dug, it is laid in heaps containing 
apparently from five to fifteen tons each. 

Water is conveyed from a distance, and is distributed 
to the various parts of the works by means of aque- 
ducts, constructed with great ingenuity and skill. The 
method of washing for diamonds at this place is as 
follows : — A shed is erected in the form of a parallelo- 
gram, twenty- five or thirty yards long and about fifteen 
wide, consisting of upright posts which support a roof 
thatched with long grass. Down the middle of the 
area of this shed a current of water is conveyed through 
a canal covered with strong planks, on which the cas- 
calhao is laid two or three feet thick. On the other 
side of the area is a flooring of planks, from four to five 
yards long, imbedded in clay, extending the whole 
length of the shed, and having a slope from the canal, 
of three or four inches to a yard. This flooring is di- 



INTERIOR OF ERAZILS. 



231 



vidcd into about twenty compartments or troughs, each 
about three feet wide, by means of planks placed on 
their edge. The upper ends of all these troughs (here 
called canoes) communicate with the canal, and are so 
formed that water is admitted into them between two 
planks that are about an inch separate. Through this 
opening the current falls about six inches into the 
trough, and may be directed to any part of it, or stopped 
at pleasure by means of a small quantity of clay. For 
instance, sometimes water is required only from one 
corner of the aperture, then the remaining part is 
stopped ; sometimes it is wanted from the centre, then 
the extremes are stopped ; and sometimes only a gentle 
rill is wanted, then the clay is applied accordingly. 
Along the lower ends of the troughs a small channel is 
dug to carry off the water. 

On the heap of cascalhao, at equal distances, are 
placed three high chairs* for the officers or overseers. 
After they are seated, the negroesf enter the troughs, 
each provided with a rake of a peculiar form and short 
handle, with which he rakes into the trough about fifty or 
eighty pounds weight of cascalhao. The water being 
then let in upon it, the cascalhao is spread abroad and 
continually raked up to the head of the trough, so as ta 
be kept in constant motion. This operation is perform- 
ed for the space of a quarter of an hour ; the water then 
begins to run clearer, having washed the earthy parti- 
cles away, the gravel-like matter is raked up to the end 
of the trough ; after the current flows away quite clear, 
the largest stones are thrown out, and afterwards those 
of inferior size, then the whole is examined with great 
care for diamonds. J When a negro finds one, he im- 



* In order to insure the vigilance of the overseers, these chairs are con- 
structed without backs or any other support on which a person can recline, 

j- The negroes employed in these works are the property of individuals, 
who let them to hire at the daily rate of three vengtems of gold, equal to 
about eight-pence, Government supplying them with victuals. Every officer 
of the establishment is allowed the privilege of having a certain number of 
negroes employed. 

+ The negroes are constantly attending to the cascalhao from the very 
commencement of the washings, and frequently find diamonds before this 
last operation. 



232 



TRAVELS IX THE 



mediately stands upright and chips his hands, then ex 
tends them, holding the gem between his fore-finger 
and thumb ; an overseer receives it from him, and depo- 
sits it in a gamella or bowl, suspended from the cen- 
tre of the structure, half full of water. In this vessel 
all the diamonds found in the course of the day are 
placed, and at the close of work are taken out and de- 
livered to the principal officer, who, after they have 
been weighed, registers the particulars in a book kept 
for that purpose. 

When a negro is so fortunate as to find a diamond of 
the weight of an octavo (172 carats,) much ceremony 
takes place ; he is crowned with a wreath of flowers and 
carried in procession to the administrator, who gives 
him his freedom, by paying his owner for it. He also 
receives a present of new clothes, and is permitted to 
work on his own account. When a stone of eight or ten 
carats is found, the negro receives two new shirts, a 
complete new suit, with a hat and a handsome knife. 
For smaller stones of trivial amount proportionate pre- 
miums are given. During my stay at Tejuco a stone 
of 16| carats was found : it was pleasing to see the 
anxious desire manifested by the officers, that it might 
prove heavy enough to entitle the poor negro to his 
freedom, and when on being delivered and weighed, it 
proved only a carat short of the requisite weight, ail 
seemed to sympathize in his disappointment. 

Many precautions are taken to prevent the negroes 
from embezzling diamonds. Although they work in 
a bent position, and consequently never know whether 
the overseers are watching them or not, yet it is easy 
for them to omit gathering any which they see, and to 
place them in a corner of the trough for the purpose of 
secreting them at leisure hours, to prevent which they 
are frequently changed while the operation is going on. 
A word of command being given by the overseers, they 
instantly move into each other's troughs, so that no 
opportunity of collusion can take place. If a negro be 
suspected of having swallowed a diamond, he is con- 
fined in a strong room until the fact can be ascertained. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



233 



Formerly the punishment inflicted on a negro for 
smuggling diamonds was confiscation of his person to 
the state : but it being thought too hard for the owner 
to suffer for the offence of his servant, the penalty has 
been commuted for personal imprisonment and chastise- 
ment. This is a much lighter punishment than that, 
which their owners or any white man would suffer for a 
similar offence. 

There is no particular regulation respecting the dress 
of the negroes : they work in the clothes most suitable 
to the nature of their employment, generally in a waist- 
coat and a pair of drawers, and not naked, as some tra- 
vellers have stated. Their hours of labour are from 
a little before sun-rise until sun-set, half an hour being 
allowed for breakfast, and two hours at noon. While 
washing they change their posture as often as they please, 
which is very necessary, as the work requires them to 
place their feet on the edges of the trough, and to stoop 
considerably. This posture is particularly prejudicial 
to young growing negroes, as it renders them in-kneed. 
Four or five times during the day they all rest, when 
snuff, of which they are very fond, is given to them. 

The negroes are formed into working parties, called 
troops, containing two hundred each, under the direc- 
tion of an administrator and inferior officers. Each 
troop has a clergyman and a surgeon to attend it. With 
respect to the subsistence of the negroes, although the 
present governor has in some degree improved it by 
allowing a daily portion of fresh beef, which was not 
allowed by his predecessors, yet I am sorry to observe 
that it is still poor and scanty; and in other respects 
they are more hardly dealt with than those of any other 
establishment which I visited : notwithstanding this, the 
owners are all anxious to get their negroes into the ser- 
vice, doubtless from sinister motives, of which more 
will be said hereafter. 

The officers are liberally paid, and live in a style of 
considerable elegance, which a stranger would not be 
led to expect in so remote a place. Our tables were daily 
covered with a profusion of excellent viands, served up 

G G 



234 



TRAVELS IN THE 



on fine Wedgewood ware, and the state of their house- 
hold generally corresponded with this essential part of it. 
They were ever ready to assist me in my examination 
of the works* and freely gave me all the necessary infor- 
mation respecting them. 

Having detailed the process of washing for diamonds, 
I proceed to a general description of the situations in 
which they are found. The flat pieces of ground on 
each side the river are equally rich throughout their ex- 
tent, and hence the officers are enabled to calculate the 
value of an unworked place by comparison with the 
amount found on working in the part adjoining. These 
known places are left in reserve, and trial is made of 
more uncertain grounds. The following observation I 
often heard from the intendant: " That piece of ground" 
(speaking of an unworked flat by the side of the river) 
" will yield me ten thousand carats of diamonds when- 
ever we shall be required to get them in the regular 
course of working, or when, on any particular occasion, 
an order from Government arrives, demanding an extra-, 
ordinary and immediate supply." 

The substances accompanying diamonds, and consi- 
dered good indications of them, are bright bean-like 
iron ore, a slaty flint-like substance, approaching Lydian 
stone, of fine texture, black oxide of iron in great quan- 
tities, rounded bits of blue quartz, yellow crystal, and 
other materials entirely different from any thing known 
to be produced in the adjacent mountains. Diamonds 
are by no means peculiar to the beds of rivers or deep 
ravines ; they have been found in cavities and water- 
courses on the summits of the most lofty mountains. 

I had some conversation with the officers respecting 
the matrix of the diamond, not a vestige of which could 
I trace. They informed me that they often found dia- 
monds cemented in pudding-stone, accompanied with 
grains of gold, but that they always broke them out, 
as they could not enter them in the treasury, or weigh 
them with matter adhering to them. I obtained a mass 
of pudding-stone, apparently of very recent formation, 
cemented by ferruginous matter enveloping many grains 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



235 



of gold ; and likewise a few pounds weight of the cas- 
calhao in its unwashed state. 

This river, and other streams in its vicinity, have 
been in washing many years, and have produced great 
quantities of diamonds, which have ever been reputed 
of. the finest quality. They vary in size ; some are so 
small that four or five are required to weigh one grain, 
consequently sixteen or twenty to the carat : there are 
seldom found more than two or three stones of from 
seventeen to twenty carats in the course of a year, and 
not once in tw T o years is there found throughout the 
whole washings a stone of thirty carats. During the 
five days I was here they were not very successful ; the 
whole quantity found amounted only to forty, the lar- 
gest of which was only four carats, and of a light green 
colour. 

From the great quantity of debris, or worked cascal- 
hao, in every part near the river, it is reasonable to cal- 
culate that the works have been in operation above forty 
years ; of course there must arrive a period at which 
they will be exhausted, but there are grounds in the 
neighbourhood, particularly in the Cerro de St. An- 
tonio, and in the country now inhabited by the In- 
dians, w r hich will probably afford these gems in <equal 
abundance. 

After residing here five days, \w visited a diamond 
work called Montero, about two niiles up the river, and 
went a league further to a gold- work called Carapata. 
The cascalhao at this work vvas taken from a part of the 
river eight feet deep, which formed an eddy under a 
projecting point ; I was shewn a heap of it, that was 
estimated to be worth 10,0001. In removing this heap 
from its bed, four hundred negroes had been employed 
three months ; and to wash it, would occupy one hun- 
dred men for three months more, the expence of both 
operations amounting to perhaps 1,5001. We arrived 
at this place at eight o'clock in the morning ; six negroes 
were employed four hours in washing two troughs, con- 
taining together about a ton of cascalhao, when, to my 
great surprise, after the water ran clear, and the large 



236 



TRAVELS IN THE 



stones were thrown out, the black oxide of iron* of 
which there was great abundance, was fringed with 
grains of gold, a novel and very agreeable sight to a 
stranger. The gold was taken out at three or four 
different times, and, when the washing was completed, 
was dried over a fire and weighed : it amounted to nearly 
twenty ounces Troy. This is esteemed a very rich 
place, and such circumstances are of rare occurrence. 
The whole neighbourhood is sterile, presenting the same 
characteristics as those before described. By proper 
cultivation it might be rendered very productive ; but, 
as the troops of negroes and their officers are continually 
changing, no regular establishments are formed. 

This place probably derived its name from a most 
disagreeable insect, which infests the low brushwood in 
the neighbourhood. It is like a sheep-tick ; and, on get- 
ting access to any part of the body, it fastens impercep- 
tibly, buries its head under the skin, and draws blood 
until its body is swelled to the size of a bean. It forci- 
bly removed, it leaves a very deep disagreeable hole, 
which is frequently difficult to heal. The best mode 
of getting- rid of the animal is to kill it with either laud- 
anum or oil, and suffer it to remain until it dies, when 
it will drop cfiT. 

In the afternoon we returned to Tejuco by another 
route more mountainous than that by which we had 
come. Crossing a deep ravine, formerly very rich in 
diamonds, we rode up a mountain full a mile on the as- 
cent, and passed several rivdets, winch I was informed 
had produced many fine stones. These, and in fact all 
the best situations in the district, had been in the pos- 
session of the smugglers, and were explored by those 
enterprising men. In the course of our journey, I ob- 
served that whenever a traveller or a negro was seen by 
any of our party at a distance from the road, a soldie> 
was instantly dispatched to bring him to the officers, be- 
fore whom he underwent an examination. 

In the evening we arrived at Tejuco,- where I was de- 
sirous of remaining a week to recruit my strength. Mr. 
De Camara ordered my baggage to his house, whither 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



237 



I removed in compliance with his pressing invitation : 
he was kind enough to give me his library as my pri- 
vate room ; it was extensive and very select, consisting 
chiefly of English authors on science. Adjoining to it 
is a fine garden of nearly three acres in extent, planted 
chiefly with grass. It was formerly a washing, and con- 
sequently presented a surface of only refuse stones ; but 
the present proprietor levelled it, brought a little soil 
from various parts, and planted a peculiar variety of 
grass, which he keeps in cutting for his mules. This 
was the commencement of the fruit season ; the peaches, 
with which the trees were loaded, were nearly ripe. 
The asparagus, and vegetables of every description 
were very fine. The climate appeared to be mild and 
genial ; the thermometer was generally at 62° at sun- 
rise, and at mid-day, in a room rather exposed to the 
sun, rose to 74°. 

Tejuco being situated in a sterile district, which pro- 
duces nothing for the maintenance of its inhabitants, in 
number about six thousand, depends, for a supply of 
provisions, on farms situated several leagues distant. 
The bread of the country was at this time extremely- 
dear ; Indian corn, from which it is made, being from 
5s. 6d. to 6s. the bushel ; beans and other pulse in pro- 
portion. Beef was very indifferent, this being the dry 
season ; pork and poultry were rather plentiful. At 
no place do I recollect to have seen a greater proportion 
of indigent people, particularly of females. Full a hun - 
dred and fifty of these unhappy persons came weekly to 
receive portions of flour which the governor was pleased 
to allow them. They are totally without occupation, 
here being neither agriculture nor manufactures to af- 
ford them any ; yet both these main supports of the 
population might be introduced, if a proper spirit of in- 
dustry prevailed among the inhabitants. The land 
would, with little trouble, yield excellent crops, were 
any kind of inclosures made, which, it must be allowed, 
is an undertaking attended with some difficulties, yet 
not of such magnitude as to render it hopeless. With 



238 



TRAVELS IN THE 



respect to manufactures, a most valuable material is 
at hand, as cotton from Minas Novas, distant only from 
sixty to one hundred miles, passes through this place to 
the capital. 

Yet, notwithstanding the idleness of the inhabitants, 
Tejuco may be called flourishing, on account of the 
circulation of property created by the diamond works. 
The annual sum paid by Government for the hire of 
negroes, salaries of officers, and various necessaries, 
such as nitre and iron, does not amount to less than 
33,0001., and this, added to the demands of the inhabi- 
tants of the town and its vicinity, occasions a conside- 
rable trade. The shops are stocked with English cot- 
tons, baizes, and cloths, and other manufactured goods ; 
also hams, cheese, butter, porter, and other articles of 
consumption. Mules from Bahia and Rio de Janeiro 
came loaded with them. Great complaints were made 
among the shopkeepers of the bad quality of the 
cotton goods, and of their losing their colours in wash- 
ing. Some of the principal inhabitants exclaimed 
against the introduction of foreign luxuries, and rather 
wished that their trade with England should furnish 
them the means of working their iron mines, and enable 
them to defend themselves.* 



* It would seem, from this i-emark of our author, that the neglect of til- 
lage, and of working from mines, arose more from governmental restriction, 
than from want of knowledge amongst the people of their true interest. An 
influx of foreign wrought goods is frequently productive of the most seri- 
ous national evils. In colonies appertaining to such governments as Spain 
and Portugal, monopolies and injudicious duties on objects of primary ne- 
cessity and internal production will ever keep the people dependent, 
wretched and miserable. In page 216 we are told that salt and iron are ob- 
jects the most heavily taxed. More conclusive facts could not be given of 
the true causes of the wretchedness of the colonists in Brazil. 

A nation is happy or miserable in a direct ratio with the exertion of the 
physical powers and moral faculties of its individuals, upon objects of real 
use, or of fictitious value ; and the extent or restrictions of Civil Liberty. 
When bread, meat, or cloathing is once created, if they cannot be sold, they 
can be made use of by the owner. Gold, silver, diamonds, tobacco, &c. if 
not disposed of are useless, and if made to the exclusion of the necessaries 
of life, the wretched possessor may perish, amid accumulated treasures 
of merchandise. Amee. Editor. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



239 



Tejuco, owing to its situation by the side of a hill, is 
very irregularly built ; its streets are uneven, but the 
houses in general are well constructed and in good con- 
dition, compared with those of other towns in the inte- 
rior. Its name, which, in the Portuguese language, 
signifies a muddy place, is derived from places of that 
description in its neighbourhood, which are rendered 
passable by being covered with large pieces of wood. 

Through the kind care and attention of Mr. De Ca~ 
mara and his excellent family, my health was in part re- 
established, and I was enabled to ride out daily, occu- 
pying myself in seeing all I could, and gaining the 
best information, in which I was assisted by my worthy 
host and all his friends. Our evenings were passed in a 
most agreeable manner, among the parties which regu- 
larly assembled at the intendant's house, consisting of 
some of the principal inhabitants of the town. In these 
parties the gentlemen engage at whist, and the ladies 
take tea and play round games, or enter into conversa- 
tion on the passing occurrences of the day. In no part 
of Brazil did I meet with society so select and agreea- 
ble ; this may certainly be called the court of the min- 
ing district. In their manners there was no ceremo- 
nious reserve or courtly refinement, but their whole 
demeanour was genteel and well-bred, enlivened by an 
ease and good humour which the affability of the chief 
and his amiable lady and daughters ever tended to pro- 
mote. The company all dressed after the English 
mode, and in dresses of English manufacture. The 
gentlemen were almost all distinguished with stars, yet 
they formed a constellation far inferior in brilliancy to 
that of the ladies. 

I was invited to pay a visit to the treasury, which can 
only be viewed when a meeting of officers is called, as 
the treasure is kept in chests, under three distinct locks, 
the keys of which are entrusted to three several officers, 
who are all required to be present at the opening. They 
here shewed me the diamonds taken from the tropero 
at Concepcao, which were in general much better than 
those from the mines worked by Government. One 



240 



TRAVELS IN THE 



about eleven carats was a very fine stone, perfectly crys* 
tallized, in the form of an octaedron. The unfortunate 
man from whom they were taken, I was informed, was 
very ill in prison. I was then shewn about eight hun- 
dred carats, found in the regular course of ^washing; 
they were in general very small, not one exceeding five 
carats. I observed one perfectly round, and several co- 
loured. Those with a dark green crust upon them 
were, they informed me, when cut, of the purest water. 

Here the diamonds found in the district are deposited 
monthly, as they are received from the different works. 
They are carefully weighed, and some selected and 
kept separate. The average quantity obtained may be 
estimated at from 20,000 to 25,000 carats annually, 
which are sent under a military escort to Rio, and there 
lodged in the treasury. 

The diamonds are tied up in black silk bags, and 
deposited in elegant inner cabinets, the whole of which 
are locked up in strong chests bound with iron. 

They then shewed me the gold, which was in large 
bars, weighing from five to ten pounds each, the whole 
of which I estimated at full 1501bs. weight. It was 
found in the district of Cerro do Frio, and was reserved 
to pay part of the expences attending the establishment. 

An excursion was some days afterwards proposed to 
another diamond work, called Rio Pardo, distant about 
twenty miles in a north-west direction. After proceed- 
ing a third of the way, over a country covered with a 
poor wiry sort of grass, we passed several fine falls of 
water, and crossed a ridge of mountains. The land as 
we advanced appeared much better, though still very 
naked, having only a few poor crooked small trees, 
that rather increased than took from its desolate appear- 
ance. 

We passed through Chapada, a little dirty village, 
once famous for its washings, as were all the streams 
and ravines in the vicinity, and proceeded over some 
good clay land, and a considerable tract of peat- moss, 
well watered by streams which burst in all directions 
from the hills. The country was open, and had a most 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



romantic appearance, caused by a quantity of low recks 
of soft pudding-stone, laminated, which lay on the sur- 
face in the most irregular forms. These lands were 
well calculated for pasturage, particularly in the season 
of abundance, but I was told that the cattle put to 
graze upon them were frequently stolen by the negroes,^ 
and that there were many noxious plants in the herbage, 
which proved fatal to the beasts that ate them. 

We arrived at the houses of the establishment about 
eleven in the forenoon, and walked four miles farther to 
the diamond works, on which a full troop of negroes 
were then employed. Rio Pardo is a dirty paltry -look- 
ing rivulet, which runs into the Rio Velho: in some 
parts it is confined by shelving rocks of quartz, through 
which it runs rapidly ; in others it takes a serpentine 
course, and forms eddies, which are called caldrones, on 
account of their resemblance to the cavity of a boiler. 
The bed of the river, though confined, has a stratum 
of cascalhao of variable thickness, which, after the cur- 
rent has been diverted, is dug up, and washed in the 
same way as at Jigitonhonha. The caldrones, or holes, 
formerly eddies, but now partly filled with cascalhao, so 
as to be no more than three or four feet deep, are fre- 
quently found to contain many diamonds ; one of them, 
which was cleared by four men in as many days, pro- 
duced one hundred and eighty carats. 

Rio Pardo, though paltry and insignificant in its ap- 
pearance, has produced as large a quantity of the most 
precious gems as any river in the district. The rough 
blueish-green-coloured diamonds, formerly so much 
esteemed by the Hollanders, continue to be found here, 
and the stones of this rivulet are to this day reputed the 
most valuable in Brazil. The accompanying sub- 
stances are somewhat different from those of the wash- 
ings at Mandanga ; here is no bean-like iron ore, but a 
considerable quantity of flinty slate-like Lydian stone, 



* Probably fugitive negroes, who subsist in this remote district by pluri, 
der and smuggling 

H H 



042 TRAVELS IX THE 

in various shapes and sizes, and very small black oxide 
of iron ; the earthy matter is also much finer than at 
the above place. I was informed that there remained 
as much un worked ground as would occupy a hundred 
negroes full twenty years. 

Rio Pardo runs about a league to the westward of 
Captlho Velho, which is a chapel on a mountain, 
washed at its base by a stream called Corgode Cupel ho 
Velho, which some years ago was worked, and produ- 
ced diamonds of great size and superior brilliancy. The 
rivulets to the eastward of this ridge of mountains run 
into the Jigftonhonha ; those to the westward have their 
course into the Rio Velho, which flows into the Rio de 
San Francisco. The height of the mountains I had 
no means of ascertaining, but they are considered as 
undoubtedly the highest in Brazil. The air in this ele- 
vated region is pure and rather keen ; the thermometer 
in the mornings and evenings stood at 62, and at mid- 
day at 70. In all the parts which I visited the land 
appeared favourable for the growth of almost every 
species of produce, and, if properly inclosed and culti- 
vated, might in no long time become the granary of the 
district. 

On our return to Tejuco I was shewn several dwar- 
fish trees, of the height and size of a common crab- r ee, 
with extremely crooked branches ; and was informed 
that they were a species of the quercus saber. I cut 
from them some pieces of bark about an inch in thick- 
ness, which were elastic, and actually proved to be cork. 
It seemed to me a question of considerable interest, 
whether these trees, if regularly planted and attended 
to, might not produce cork of as good a quality as that 
which we obtain from the Mediterranean. 

After resting a few days, I accompanied the inten- 
dant to a small diamond work called Corrolina, and re- 
turned the same day. This work some years ago pro- 
duced many good stones, but at present it employs very 
few people. The mode of washing is exactly the same 
with that practised at Mandanga. 

At Tejuco some tolerably good barley was shewn 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



243 



to me ; it was not so heavy as that of our best from 
Norfolk, and was but little known. The intendant 
uses it as provender for his mules whenever he can 
obtain it On examining the sample, I could not but 
reflect that, if land so ill-managed produced such barley, 
how much superior would be the quality of the grain 
under good management 

At a subsequent period of my visit, the intendant, 
with whom malt-liquor is a favourite beverage, express- 
ed a great desire to see some of the barley converted 
into malt, in order to brew beer, and, after repeatecl 
solicitations, I undertook to make the experiment. A 
quantity was procured, which I endeavoured to prepare in 
the best manner that circumstances would allow. Hav- 
ing steeped it the requisite time, I put it on a cold 
floor, and managed it as is customary in our malt- 
houses ; when it had germinated sufficiently, I dried it 
over a slow fire ; afterwards, having cleansed it from 
the combs by rubbing, I crushed it 8 and finally mashed 
it. The infusion produced a tolerable wort, which, 
however, I did not deem sufficiently good, as it wanted 
saccharine matter : this deficiency I supplied by the 
admixture of a small quantity of sugar. It was then 
boiled until it was judged of a proper consistency, and 
a very pleasant bitter was added instead of hops. The 
fermentation I endeavoured to promote with leaven, 
which had been prepared a few 7 days before, and. when 
that process had terminated, the liquor was put into 
small casks, which we stopped close. Though it might 
not prove good, from the hasty manner in which the 
process was conducted, yet the mode of preparing it 
was exemplified, which was the main purpose of the 
experiment. It appeared to me by no means impossi- 
ble either to make malt or to brew beer, if proper places 
w r ere made under-ground, so as to ensure a moderate 
degree of cold for the operation of malting, and for the 
subsequent processes. Sugar is here so abundant, that 
any quantity of saccharine matter might be added to 
improve the poorness of the malt ; and it is highly ■ pro- 
bable that a very pleasant beverage might be made, 



244. 



TRAVELS IN THE 



which would relieve the inhabitants of this remote dis* 
trict from the necessity of having recourse to the me- 
tropolis for bad wines, and from the ill effects which 
proceed from drinking bad spirits distilled in the 
vicinity. 

Many parts of this fine country abound in oranges, 
pines, peaches, guavas, and a great variety of indigenous 
fruits, both sweet and acid, particularly the Jaboticubi, 
which is very rich in mucilaginous matter, yet no at- 
tempt has hitherto been made to obtain wine from any 
of them. Ginger and pepper grow here spontaneously, 
and many spices might probably be cultivated with 
success. 

Grass for cattle was as dear at Tejuco as at Rio de 
Janeiro, and the small quantity which cost eight-pence 
would scarcely suffice a mule a day. The intendant 
and the captain of the cavalry had each of them about 
two acres under cultivation, of a species called Engor- 
do dos Cavalhos (fattener of horses,) which grew from 
five to seven feet high, with a thick esculent stem, and 
long lancet-shaped leaves. It has a large fibrous root, 
and is well- calculated for stony ground where there is 
little earth ; it even grew among rounded stones that had 
been washed three years before. * 

The intendant, who had a taste for rural economy, 
and more particularly his lady, were very anxious to 
make their own butter and cheese, and expressed 
a great desire to be instructed in the process as prac- 
tised in England, though milk was very scarce ; and it 
was not without much difficulty that, after sending a few 
miles, about three gallons were collected. In the mean 
time such household utensils as were most fit for the 
purpose having been made ready, and others procured? 
very excellent butter was produced, and afterwards a 
few cheeses were made, which there was every reason 



* It was then in seed, of which I collected a small quantity ; since my re- 
turn, I have sent part of it to the Agricultural Society, and the remainder I 
have distributed among gentlemen who will endeavour to promote its growth 
in this country. It is rather a hardy grass, as it grew in situations which 
were all so cold, that the bananas and coffees were frequently blighted, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



245 



to suppose would prove good. The lady interested 
herself greatly in the experiment, not only performing 
part of the operations, with the assistance of her daugh- 
ter, but inviting several of her friends in the town to 
see with what little trouble the processes were perform- 
ed, and distributing the products among them* : — a 
rare example of industry ! I am decidedly of opinion 
that, were the females of Brazil better educated, espe- 
cially in whatever relates to domestic economy, and 
were they accustomed to see the concerns of a household 
conducted with regularity and order, they would be 
very different subjects of society ; for I have ever ob- 
served in them that inquisitive disposition and desire 
of information, which may be called the first step to 
improvement. But what can be expected from ill- 
educated females, reared from their infancy among 
negras, in miserable houses, scarcely affording a shelter 
from the rain or a shade from the sun, and destitute of 
every ray of comfort. 



* The ladies particularly wished to have the cheese of a fine colour 9 like 
that sent thither from England; and I was at no loss for an ingredient for 
tinging- the milk, as the tree, which produces the seed from which annatto 
is made, grew spontaneously in the neighbourhood, 



246 



TRAVELS m THE 



CHAP. XIV. 



Some Account of the Districts of Minas Novas and 
Paracatu. — Of the large Diamond found in the River 
Abaite. 

IT was my intention to have continued my journey 
to Minas Novas, and from thence westward to Pa- 
racatu, and to have returned by Abaite, a place that has 
produced many large diamonds, though generally of 
inferior quality. This design I was prevented from ac- 
complishing by illness, being attacked with a violent 
sciatic complaint, accompanied with great debility in 
the right side, which obliged me to return as soon as 
possible. While I remained at Tejuco, for the pur- 
pose of regaining strength sufficient to encounter the 
fatigues of a journey back to the capital, i employed 
myself in collecting information respecting these dis- 
tricts from intelligent persons who resided there, as well 
as from officers on the establishment. The following 
brief description is the result of the communications 
with which they favoured me. 

The principal village in Minas Novas, called Tocaya, 
is thirty -five leagues distant from Tejuco, in a north- 
easterly direction. The road thither is parallel with the 
river Jigitonhonha, which runs from two to five leagues 
westward of it.* Numerous rivulets flow into it in 
this direction, in some of which are found white to- 
pazes, more commonly known here by the name of 
minas novas. They are pretty pellucid pebbles, generally 
rounded, though sometimes they occur perfectly crys- 
tallized, in the same form as the yellow topaz. Blue 
topazes and agua-marinas are also found here ; some 



* On the road there are numerous farm-houses, which afford .sufficient 
accommodation for a traveller to pass a night. They in general belong to 
persons resident in Tejuco, where their produce is sold. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 247 

of the former are of a singular variety, being in one 
part blue, and in the other, clear and pellucid. This 
neighbourhood is also noted for producing the beauti- 
ful chryso- beryl, which is much esteemed by the higher 
orders of society in Brazil, and in great request among 
th< jewellers oi Rio de Janeiro. These gems rarely 
occur crystallized ; they sell at considerable prices in 
their rough state, and are much more valuable in Ame- 
rica than in England, where, indeed, they are little 
known, or they would be more highly appreciated, be- 
ing, when polished, of great brilliancv and very beau^ 
tiful. 

To the westward of the river Jigitonhonha, and op- 
posite the village of Bom Successo, is the Cerro of 
Sunt Antonio, a place much famed for diamonds, which 
are said to be of an indifferent quality. There are 9 
also, other parts, well known to many of the inhabitants 
of the district as being rich in these treasures. 

The country is very fertile, and prodnces a great 
variety of the finest woods for cabinet-works ; also nu- 
merous fruits, and most exquisite vanilla, Which 
grows spontaneously. The land, being less elevated* 
than Cerro do Frio, is said to be much warmer, and is 
highly favourable to the growth of sugar and coffee. 
The plantations are chiefly of cotton, which is reputed 
to be equal in colour and quality to that of Pernam- 
buco. It is transported to Rio de Janeiro on mules^ 
and many hundreds of those useful animals are con- 
tinually employed in this commerce. A troop of load- 
ed mules are full three months, and sometimes four, in 
going, and the same time in returning. These animals 
in this district are double the price that they are in St. 
Paul's. The journeys are attended with considerable 
expence and difficulty ; Indian corn must be daily 



* In some of the low swampy tracts large serpents are not uncommon. 
At Tejuco I was shewn the skin of a young one, said to be of the Boa Con- 
strictor genus. It was twenty-four feet in length, and about twenty inches 
in circumference. To relate the stories told of these reptiles, — of their 
catching bullocks, and afterwards swallowing them, — would ill-become a 
work of veracity ; the horned cattle of Minas Novas being as large, though 
not so full of flesh, as ours in England. 



* 

# 



248 TRAVELS IN THE 

bought for their use ; and, notwithstanding the great 
attention paid to them on the road, many die, and others 
are frequently lamed and disabled. Their burdens are 
divided into two equal parts, and suspended on a pack- 
saddle of peculiar make by straps of raw hide. The 
average burden is nine arrobas, nearly equal to three 
hundred pounds weight, the carriage -ex pence of which, 
from Rio de Janeiro to Minas Novas, is six or seven 
pounds sterling; to Tejucofive pounds; to Villa Rica 
about three. 

The trade to Minas Novas from Rio de Janeiro con- 
sists principally in negroes, iron, salt, woollens, hats, 
printed cottons, hard- ware, arms, and some fancy arti- 
cles, a little wine and oil, salt-fish, and butter Few 
luxuries enter these remote parts, the inhabitants seek- 
ing for little beyond mere necessaries. 

Minas Novas is under the jurisdiction of the Ouvi- 
dor of Villa do Principe, who goes thither once a year 
to settle disputes, administer justice, and discharge 
other duties belonging to his office. 

At Tocaya the Jigitonhonha flows into a larger river, 
-called Rio Grande, which, taking an easterly direction, 
enters the sea in lat. 16° 20' south, near Porto Seguro. 
A gentleman with whom I was acquainted undertook 
to navigate this fine river from Tocaya to the sea, and, 
as the current was rapid, he performed the task in six 
days. On his return, which occupied fifteen days, he 
observed several tributary rivers, the communications 
of which are unknown, as they rise in the country in- 
habited by the Indians. The river being free from falls, 
may in time be frequented by vessels from sea, for I 
did not learn that its entrance was shallow or unfit for 
navigation. Probably the land about it is low and mar- 
shy which may be the reason that it is so little known. 

It cannot be too much recommended to the Govern- 
ment of Brazil immediately to order a survey of this 
river, which might be performed in one of their launches 
in two months at little or no expence, and, were it found 
necessary, a chain of connection might be established 
from its mouth to Tocaya. The benefits resulting to 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 249 

Ike inhabitants from opening the navigation may be 
easily conceived. The produce of the country, its cot- 
ton, coffee, and sugar, its rich cabinet-woods, and many 
other valuable articles, would be brought into active 
commerce ; extensive plantations would be established, 
and the whole territory would be improved. It is true 
that the commerce of the district would flow through 
another channel, and the tolls paid on passing the Pa- 
raibuna, to and from the capital, would be a little di- 
minished : but surely the policy of Government is not 
so confined as to allow that consideration to have any 
weight against a measure of such national importance, 
when it is obvious that one of the greatest disadvanta- 
ges under which the empire of Brazil labours, is the 
want of commerce on all its rivers, except the Rio 
Grande de St. Pedro. 

The population of Minas Novas is thin, compared 
with its extent, but is daily increasing. It does not 
appear that mining is the object which attracts settlers, 
though there is a considerable quantity of stones ex- 
ported, which are found only here, as has been before 
observed, 

Where the rivers are deep it is very difficult to raise 
the cascalhao from their beds, in order to wash it for 
gold, &c. for this purpose various trivial and ineffectual 
methods are practised ; it would be highly'conducive 
to the interest of the proprietor, as well as of the state, 
to have rafts or boats constructed, and to adopt the 
machinery used by the ballast- heavers on the river 
Thames, by means of which the cascalhao might be 
raised, even from a depth of twenty feet, however rapid 
were the current, This machinery is highly to be re- 
commended, not only in this district, but throughout 
the mining country ; were a model of it made by order 
of Government, and the requisite iron- work prepared 
in Rio de Janeiro, (if necessary,) and admitted into the 
mining country free of duty, there would probably be 
such an increase of gold obtained by it, that the pro ^ 



250 



TRAVELS IN THE 



portionate augmentation of the royal fifths would amply 
repay the expence of introducing the improvement. 

Paracatu is the principal village or town of a district 
of the same name, which lies about ninety leagues 
north-west of Tejuco, bordering on the Capitania of 
Goyazes, from which it is separated by a chain of high 
mountains that take a northerly direction. The numer- 
ous rivers which rise on the eastern side of the moun- 
tains, and flow into the great river St. Francisco, are 
rich in gold. The population of the village is esti- 
mated at above a thousand souls, and will shortly be 
more numerous, as the reputed richness of some late 
discoveries has tempted many families to migrate 
thither. It has all the advantages of a high and healthy 
situation, in the midst of a most fertile country, and 
has considerable intercourse with Sahara and Villa 
Rica, where the gold procured in its vicinity is permu- 
ted, it is governed oy a captain Mor, who is subordi- 
nate to the governor of the latter place, to whom all 
disputes of consequence are referred. To the south- 
ward is the rich distacamento of Rio Plata, a river that 
yields fine diamonds, and has been much frequented 
by many adventurers, who, when discovered and seized, 
are called smugglers. A strong guard of soldiers is 
stationed here to prevent the precious stones from be- 
ing sought for clandestinely. 

A few leagues to the north of the Rio Plata is the 
rivulet named Abaite, celebrated for having produced 
the largest diamond in the Prince's possession, which 
was found about twelve years ago, Though this cir~ 
cum stance has been already briefly stated, it may be 
allowed me in this place to relate the particulars as 
they were detailed to me during my stay at Tejuco. 
Three men, having been found guilty of high crimes, 
were banished into the interior, and ordered not to ap- 
proach any of the capital towns, or to remain in civi- 
lized society, on pain of perpetual imprisonment. 
Driven by this hard sentence into the most unfre- 
quented part of the country, they endeavoured to ex- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



251 



plore new mines or new productions, in the hope that, 
sooner or later, they might have the good fortune to 
make some important discovery, which would obtain 
a reversal of their sentence, and enable them to regain 
their station in society. They wandered about in this 
neighbourhood, making frequent searches in its various 
rivers for more than six years, during whic h time they 
were exposed to a double risk, being continually liable 
to become the prey of the Anthropophagi, and in no 
less danger of being seized by the soldiers of govern- 
ment. At length they by hazard made some trials in 
the river Abaite, at a time when its waters were so low, 
in consequence of a long season of drought, that a part 
of its bed was left exposed. Here, while searching and 
washing for gold, they had the good fortune to find a 
diamond nearly an ounce in weight. Elated by this 
providential discovery, which at first they could scarce- 
ly believe to be real, yet, hesitating between a dread of 
the rigorous laws relating to diamonds, and a hope of 
regaining their liberty, they consulted a clergyman, 
who advised them to trust to the mercy of the state, 
and accompanied them to Villa Rica, where he pro- 
cured them access to the governor. They threw them- 
selves at h : .s feet, and delivered to him the invaluable 
gem on which their hopes rested, relating all the cir- 
cumstances connected with it. The governor, astonish- 
ed at its magnitude, could not trust the evidence of his 
senses, but called the officers of the establishment to 
decide whether it was a diamond, who set the matter 
beyond all doubt. Being thus, by the most strange and 
unforeseen accident, put in possession of the largest 
diamond ever found in America, he thought proper to 
suspend the sentence of the men as a reward for their 
having delivered it to him. The gem was sent to Rio 
de Janeiro, from whence a frigate was dispatched with 
it to Lisbon, whither the clergyman was also sent to 
make the proper representations respecting it. The so- 
vereign confirmed the pardon of the delinquents, and 
bestowed some preferment on the holy father. 



TRAVELS IN THE 



The governor ordered a guard on the river, which 
was soon afterwards worked under the direction of the 
intendant of Cerro do Frio, who sent thither an admi- 
nistrator and two hundred negroes. It has since been 
worked at different periods with various success ; some* 
times large stones have been found, but of an indif- 
ferent quality. The work is now abandoned by Go- 
vernment, and gives occupation to numbers of adven- 
turers. Its neighbourhood has many interesting places, 
hitherto but little explored. 

A few leagues from this river is a very strong vein 
of lead ore (lead glance) in a calcareous matrix. I have 
seen pieces of it of the weight of twenty pounds, and 
it is said to be so abundant, that any quantity may be 
obtained. Some of the specimens presented to me 
were covered with carbonate of lead. It has the ap- 
pearance of a potter's ore, and is said to be poor in 
silver. No one has undertaken to work it, as the diffi- 
culty and ex pence of conveying the metal to Rio de 
Janeiro would exceed the price at which it would sell 
in that market.* When the neighbourhood becomes 
more populous, and the value of this useful metal is 
better known, the mine will probably be a source of 
riches, for lead ore is certainly scarce in Brazil, nor 
did I hear of any other place which produces it. 

The river St. Francisco is very considerable, and is 
said to contain great quantities of fish.f which is a suf- 
ficient proof that there are but few goM-washings in it. 
On the banks, and in the country to the eastward, great 
numbers of cattle are bred, which are sold in all the 
populous towns of the captaincy, and large herds are 
sent to Rio de Janeiro, a distance of above six hundred 
miles. A considerable commerce is carried on with 
ihem, and some families w 7 ho raise large quantities are 



* It mav become useful at Villa Rica : but tbe quaatity required there at 
present is so trivial as scarcely to merit attention. 

f If salt were cheaper they might be cured, and would become an article 
»j . : ; mmerce, particularly during Lent. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 253 

reported to have acquired great fortunes by it. The 
want of salt is a very general complaint ; the cattle re= 
quire it, nor will they breed well without it. 

This district is too far distant from a sea-port to en- 
joy any extent of commerce in the general articles of 
its produce. Gold and precious stones are easily trans- 
ported, but lead, and other commodities of greater bulk 
and inferior value, would scarcely pay the expence of 
carriage. Hence no cotton, coffee, or sugar is grown 
for exportation, and the quantity consumed in the dis- 
trict is very limited, owing to the small number of the 
inhabitants, and the miserable indigence in which they 
generally live, their common diet being Indian corn- 
flour, boiled beans, and a little pork. The trade to 
Rio de Janeiro is much similar to that of Minas Novas, 
and consists chiefly in iron, cotton, arms, hard- ware, 
and a few trivial luxuries. Persons of all ranks are eager 
to purchase negroes, also a few woollens. The only 
articles sent to Villa Rica are gold-dust and hides. 

In this district, and in other parts of these immense 
territories, particularly to the eastward, are large tracts 
of land volute, or not occupied by any person under a 
grant from government. These lands to a considerable 
extent may be taken by making proper application, and 
afterwards held as freehold Other excellent situations 
are in the possession of idle people, who are equally 
incapable and unwilling to reap advantage from them. 
These may be bought very cheap, and are certainly 
preferable to the unoccupied tracts, as they have gene- 
rally some few conveniences attached to them, and may, 
therefore, more easily be brought into a proper state 
of cultivation. Here is every inducement for a spirited 
and experienced agriculturist to settle : a rich and fer- 
tile district, in which there remains much to be disco- 
vered in every department, where all the necessaries, 
and many of the luxuries, of life are produced almost 
spontaneously ; and where the exertions of industry 
would be rewarded in a tenfold degree by the boun- 
teous hand of nature, an$ stimulated by the certain 



254 



TRAVELS IN THE 



hope of arousing a degenerate race of men to follow 
the example. Nor could there be any objection on the 
score of difference in opinion ; for I am persuaded that 
no one would here be molested for his religious tenets, 
while he prudently avoided giving offence, and paid 
the same regard to the conscience of his neighbour, 
which he expected for his own. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



255 



CHAP. XV. 

Observations on Tejuco, and Cerro do Frio. 

IN the foregoing pages I have endeavoured to pre- 
sent to the reader a narrative of whatever I obser- 
ved worthy of note in the Diamond District, and have 
related the several particulars in the order in which they 
occurred to me, reserving the task of general descrip- 
tion for that period of my residence there when I might 
be supposed best qualified to perform it. This mode 
of proceeding will expose me to the risk of a few re- 
petitions, for which my apology must rest on the pe- 
culiar circumstances under which I visited Tejuco,— 
on the continual journeys in which I was occupied from 
the moment of my arrival to the time when I was at- 
tacked by illness, and which left me no leisure for com- 
bining my actual observations with general views of 
the country. 

The district of Cerro do Frio consists of rugged 
mountains, that have a northerly and southerly direc- 
tion, and are generally allowed to be the highest in Bra- 
zil. What is termed the Diamond ground, extends 
about sixteen leagues from north to south, and about 
eight from east to west. It was first explored by some 
enterprising miners from Villa do Principe, a few years 
after the establishment of that town. These men pro- 
ceeding northerly found an open country, watered by 
many small rivulets, which they tried for gold by wash- 
ing : some of them engaged their attention for a short 
time, but not proving sufficiently rich, they continued 
their rout, passing the places now called San Gonzales 
and Melho Verde, until they arrived at a few streams 
that flow from the base of the mountain on which Te- 
juco is built. These rivulets were then washed for 
gold, and were considered as belonging to the district 
of Villa do Principe. No idea was first entertained that 
the rivulets contained diamonds, although it is said that 



256 



TRAVELS IN THE 



some were collected and presented to the then governor 
of Villa do Principe as curious bright stones, and were 
used by him as counters at cards. Soon afterwards a 
few of them found their way to Lisbon, and were 
given as pretty pebbles to the Dutch minister to send 
to Holland, which was then the principal mart in Eu- 
rope for precious stones. The lapidaries, to whom 
they were presented for examination, pronounced these 
pebbles to be very fine diamonds. Information was ac- 
cordingly sent to the Dutch consul at Lisbon, who did 
not fail to profit by the occasion ; for he managed the 
affair with government so well, that he contracted for 
the precious stones at the same time that he commu- 
nicated the intelligence. Government afterwards en- 
deavoured to monopolize the diamonds, and made a 
distinct district of Cerro do Frio, placing it under pe- 
culiar laws and regulations. 

The number of diamonds sent over during the first 
twenty years after the discovery is said to be almost in- 
credible, and to exceed one thousand ounces in weight. 
This supply could not fail to diminish the general value 
of diamonds, as none had ever before been known to 
come from any other part of the globe, except India, 
whither the Brazilian diamonds were afterwards sent, 
and found a better market there than in Europe. 

By stratagems and intrigues Government was pre- 
vailed on to let these invaluable territories to a com- 
pany, who were under stipulations to work with a li- 
mited number of negroes, or to pay a certain sum per 
day for every negro employed. This opened a door to 
every species of fraud ; double the stipulated number 
of negroes were admitted ; and this imposition was con- 
nived at by the agents of Government, who received 
pay in one hand, and bribes in the other. Presents 
were made to men possessing influence at court, by 
the contractors, who soon became rich, and they con- 
tinued (subject to few regulations) in possession of the 
diamond mines until about the year 1772, when, go- 
vernment determining to take them into their own 
hands, these contracts were ended. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



257 



This was the time for reforming abuses, and for 
placing this rich district under the best regulations, 
but it was neglected; prejudice prevailed over pru- 
dence ; and the management was entrusted to men 
who did not understand the real interests of the conce rn, 
or, what is more probable, who were so shackled in 
their authority, that they could not pursue them. From 
this time affairs became worse, and the establishment 
was in debt to foreigners, who had advanced a con side- 
rable sum of money on the security of having all the 
diamonds which the mines produced. This debt still 
remains unpaid, and there are other incumbrances, 
which can be removed only by a total change of sys- 
tem. In its present state the establishment appears to 
produce much greater wealth than it actually does. 
During a period of five years, from 1801 to 1806 in- 
clusive, the expences were 204,0001. ; and the dia- 
monds sent to the treasury at Rio de Janeiro weighed 
115,675 carats. The value of gold found in the same 
period amounted to 17,3001. sterling, from which it ap- 
pears that the diamonds actually cost Government thir- 
ty-three shillings and nine-pence per carat. These 
years were esteemed singularly productive. The mines 
do not in general yield to Government more than twen- 
ty thousand carats annually.* 

The town is under the absolute government of the 
Intendant. The principal officers of the civil and mili- 
tary establishments are, an ouvider or fiscal, a captain 
of cavalry, and a captain mor. In the Diamond estab- 
lishment there is a great number of officers, of whom 
the following are the principal : 1st. the Intendant, who 
is a judge, and intendant- general of the captania of 
Minas Geraes (this office is one of the best in the gift 
of the crown;) 2d, the Treasurer, whose situation is 
almost a sinecure : he receives 8,000 crusades per an- 
num ; and 3d, the Administrator- general, who has a 
salary of 6,000. The book-keeper lias 4,000, and 



* Exclusive of this amount, there is a vast quantify smuggled. 

Ks 



258 



TRAVELS IN THE 



three clerks, or key-keepers, have from 800 to 1,000 
each. These officers are employed in whatever relates 
to the treasury, or to the general concerns of the estab- 
lishment ; they all reside in Tejuco, and are the most 
respectable of the inhabitants. The management of 
the different works is entrusted to eight or ten under- 
administrators, each having in his care two hundred 
negroes, called a troop, to which, besides a clergyman 
and a surgeon, are attached several overseers and sub- 
ordinate officers, who have salaries of from 400 to 200 
crusades. The privilege of employing a certain num- 
ber of negroes in the works is common to all the offi- 
cers, to an extent corresponding with their rank. The 
superior officers let to hire as many as they please, say 
forty, and sometimes upward of fifty. The inferior of- 
ficers are permitted to let out two or three, in prefer- 
ence to other individuals ; a decidedly bad practice, as 
will be shewn hereafter. 

The Intendant holds a place of great trust : he is the 
superior magistrate, and his duty is to administer jus- 
tice, and to see that the laws peculiar to the district are 
duly executed. He is of course president of the as- 
sembly, or juncta, and calls meetings whenever he 
thinks proper ; he disposes of the military force of the 
district, orders roads to be made or stopped, and sta- 
tions guards on them to examine travellers, and to de- 
tain suspicious persons. He has also the privilege of 
giving or refusing permission for persons to enter the 
district, or settle in it ; and every one, however high in 
rank or property, who passes thither is supposed to 
have the Intendant's express concurrence, which, as a 
matter of form, is sometimes dispensed with. He ap- 
points officers, signs all papers, receives all reports that 
are made, and acts accordingly. To him solely the 
treasure is entrusted for the payment of the salaries of 
the officers, the negroes' wages, tradesmen's bills, and 
every incidental expence attending the establishment. 
He issues paper-money, and withdraws it from circula- 
tion whenever he thinks proper ; for all which he is 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



259 



responsible to Government alone, and may be said to 
be almost absolute in his office.* 

In addition to these important functions, the present 
Intendant has assumed the whole direction and regula- 
tion of the mining concern, which none of his prede- 
cessors ever practically interfered with, it being the 
peculiar province of the administrator-general. For 
this undertaking he is equally qualified by the supe- 
riority of his talents, and by the extent of his acquire- 
ments : he studied mineralogy many years under the 
celebrated Werner, by whom he was considered as one 
of his most enlightened disciples ; afterwards he travel- 
led through Hungary, and all the most interesting Ger- 
man states, and, lastly, made the tour of England and 
Scotland, where he resided two years. 

The Administrator- general, to whom belongs the di- 
rection and management of the works, ought to be 
equally experienced in mining and mechanics, particu- 
larly in hydraulics — he should be a man of general in- 
formation, combined with great practical knowledge re- 
lative to the locality of the district, so as to be able to 
ascertain the real value of every situation, and to direct 
the operations accordingly. He should have a mind 
fertile in resources, and prepared to meet every disap- 
pointment or casualty that can possibly occur, that the 
time of the negroes may not be employed in vain ; he 
should also facilitate their labours by the introduction 
of 'machinery, and should be particularly attentive to 
their good treatment, since on them his success, and 
consequently his reputation, must in a great measure 
depend. 

On this latter point humanity and policy ought alike 
to direct the attention of the superiors of the establish- 
ment. It is natural to suppose that negroes, when 
treated with harshness, ill fed and ill clothed, will be 



* It is of more consequence to secure general happiness in a nation that 
the duties of public functionaries should be defined by law; than that their 
power should be limited in extent. Despotism consists rather in the caprice^ 
than possession of unlimited authority. 



260 



TRAVELS IN THE 



indifferent to the interests of their employers, and, per- 
haps, determined not to find diamonds, whereas, when 
subjected to milder and kinder usage, which might be 
done without relaxing in vigilance, they would become 
anxious to please, and would search more diligently in 
order to obtain notice and reward. It must be obvious 
that negroes rarely conceal diamonds, fjpr themselves ; 
and yet custom has rendered the feelings of their real 
owners in Tejuco so irritable, on being suspected to 
encourage the practice, that if the word grimpero 
(smuggler) is mentioned in conversation, they shudder 
with horror and distort their features, calling on the 
Virgin to witness their abhorrence of a crime to which 
Government has attached the greatest disgraces and 
punishments. 

Pure, honest souls ! Being a stranger in the country, 
I conceived that these gentlemen really felt the senti- 
ments which their words and gestures expressed ; and, 
as persons of all rank seemed to fear conversing on the 
subject, I thought at first that I should not see a single 
diamond in all Tejuco, except those in the treasury ; 
but a little acquaintance with the town soon convinced 
me that I was a novice ; for, on visiting a few friends 
to whom I had introductions, I found that diamonds 
were bartered for every thing, and were actually much 
more current than specie. Even pious indulgences 
were bought with them ; and surely no one could have 
suspected that the seller of His Holiness's bulls would 
condescend to taste the forbidden fruits of Tejuco.* 

As I had the honour to reside at the house of the In- 
tendant, I was considered by the people of the town as 
a person connected with Government, and therefore 
as one who ought not to be informed of the secret traf- 
fic among them ; hence, when in company with the 



* The privilege of selling 1 dispensations in this capitania is bought at Rio 
rie Janeiro, or of the worthy Bishop of Mariana, who derives great advantag e 
from it. The sale is regarded as a most excellent take, and yields a very 
considerable income to the present holder, who possesses the talent of pleas- 
ing those most who pay the highest price. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



261 



officers of the establishment, whenever the word grim- 
pero was mentioned, I found it necessary to manifest 
the same feelings of disgust which they did ; and, on 
expressing my surprise that any one could so far de- 
grade himself, as to be guilty of the crime of smug- 
gling diamonds, it was tacitly agreed that no white man 
could stoop to such dishonour. The point was soon 
settled ; for I found it best not to oppose general opi- 
nions, nor enter too minutely on delicate subjects ; and 
it was sometimes expedient for me to seem regardless 
of what I was most stedfastly looking at. 

In Tejuco therj are about nine or ten principal shop- 
keepers, to whom the establishment itself, and the offi- 
cers belonging to it, are frequently indebted ; indeed, 
these men receive the greater part of the money due to 
the various persons employed in the works, in ex- 
change chiefly for English commodities, of one descrip- 
tion or other. The establishment is paid once a year, 
and for this purpose a sum not less than 300,000 cru- 
sades is sent from Villa Rica, to which may be added 
60,000 or 100,000 more, found in the gold mines of 
the district. The greater part of this money flowing 
into the hands of the shopkeepers, as above-stated, is 
immediately employed in a way injurious to the inter- 
ests of Government ; nor can worse policy be imagin- 
ed than that of allowing so large an expenditure in a 
place which offers such temptations. 

Some years ago many gold-mines were washed in 
this district, but as information was given that diamonds 
were found in them, they were ordered to be abandon- 
ed. At present more equitable measures are adopted, 
and the proprietors are commencing to work some of 
them again, under an agreement to give up what dia- 
monds they find.* 



* One Sunday morning during my stay, an owner of a washing came to 
the house of the Intendant, and brought him two miserable diamonds of bad 
colour, which did not weigh together above five grains ; and these, he said, 
were all which his ten negroes had found in six weeks. In the course of 
conversation, the Intendant observed that all the smugglers were either im- 
prisoned or dispersed, when the man immediately assumed an appearance of 



262 



TRAVELS IN THE 



There is a general order to work all the gold-mines 
which were formerly confiscated, and this measure will, 
it is hoped, increase the quantity of gold, and have a 
good effect in every respect. 

If Government are obliged to hire negroes wherever 
they can obtain them, ( which appears to be the case,) 
it would be at least expedient to have a store to supply 
them, in order that the money paid in wages to them 
might return into the funds of the establishment. 

The hiring of negroes to the diamond works is the 
favourite occupation of all ranks in Tejuco ; rich and 
poor endeavour to engage in it to asjgreat an extent as 
their property will allow. The pay of the slaves is tri- 
fling compared with the risk, their labour being heavy, 
their maintenance poor, and their treatment harsh ; there 
must, therefore, be some temptation not openly seen, 
yet as well known as light from darkness. Numbers of 
persons are thus induced to reside in Tejuco under 
various pretexts, but with no other real view than to 
get their negroes into the service, and to live idly on 
their wages, and on what they conceal or pick up. — 
Thus all fatten Upon the pasture, except those in the ex- 
treme of indigence, and others who, from neglect of 
economy, are always poor. There are a numerous class, 
from the age of seven years to upwards of twenty, who 
are without any visible means of earning their subsis- 
tence, and would remain idle, even if manufactories 
were established ; for though they are brought up from 
their infancy with negro- children, yet in the working 
department they would abandon their former play-fel- 
lows. The people in general are rendered more averse 
from habits of regular industry by the continual hopes 
which they indulge of becoming opulent by some for- 
tunate discovery of mines ; these fallacious ideas, which 
they instil into the minds of their children, strongly 



great disgust at the mention of persons of so vile a description, and was libe- 
ral in his epithets of abuse on them. — If I durst have enquired how it hap- 
pened that his negroes in sis weeks could find only two bad-coloured dia- 
monds, what emotions would this immaculate miner have manifested ? 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



263 



prejudice them against labour, though they all exist 
miserably, and not unfrequently depend upon donations. 
Their education is extremely limited : they are in gene- 
ral total strangers to the sciences, and are very scantily 
informed on any useful subject. 

As the object of my journey into this district was to 
examine into the real state of affairs, and to give a true 
report of them on my return, for which purpose I was 
furnished with many privileges never allowed to any 
person before, and was thus enabled to see all that I 
desired, humanity requires that I should make some 
observations on the fate of those unfortunate persons, 
who have been tempted to smuggle diamonds, and have 
been caught in the act. I even mentioned the subject 
to the minister on my return to Rio de Janeiro ; but as 
his occupations were great, and the state of my health 
required me to leave the country immediately, nothing 
more was said of it. 

The great demand for these precious articles, and 
the facility of secreting them, have caused them to be 
searched for and carried away in violation of the exist- 
ing laws of the country. Of the numbers who have 
engaged in this illicit traffic, from an eager desire to 
become rich at once, many have eluded the vigilance 
of the guards, and have finished their career with credit 
and opulence ; others less fortunate have been detected, 
and have incurred the punishment annexed to the of- 
fence, , namely, the surrender of their illegally acquired 
treasure, the confiscation of their whole property, and 
exile to Africa, or confinement, perhaps for life, in a 
loathsome prison. Mild as are the criminal laws of 
Brazil, the latter part of this sentence is an exception at 
which human nature shudders. Surely, when a poor 
wretch who has been tempted to this offence has atoned 
for it by the loss of all he possessed, he has suffered suf- 
ficiently without being subjected to the forfeiture of 
personal liberty, and to all the woes incident to hope- 
less captivity. Far be it from me to countenance any 
infringement on the laws which have been established 
for the protection of property, either public or private. 



£64 



TRAVELS IN THE 



To respect the institutions of whatever nation I may 
live in, I hope I shall always be among the first, and to 
encourage others to disregard them, the very last. Il- 
licit trade of every description is a deceitful and dan- 
gerous pursuit, the sweets of which are ever attended 
with a counteracting portion of evils. The object of 
my reasoning is to shew that these degraded persons 
have been of service to the state, and may still be ren- 
dered useful to it. May it be permitted me to enquire, 
who were the discoverers of perhaps all the diamond 
mines which have enriched the caskets of the royal 
family of Portugal, beyond comparison with those of 
any other state, and which have not only augmented 
the revenues of the government ; but have proved the 
source from which many respectable, and enterprising 
individuals have derived their opulence ? Adventurers, 
who, at great risk and with indefatigable toil, have 
penetrated unknown forests, and explored deep ravines 
among the haunts of the savage Anthropophagi, in 
search of gold-mines, and in them have by chance 
found diamonds. When a place of this description has 
been once discovered by these men, it seldom remains 
long secret ; the agents of Government take possession 
of it, and either work it immediately, or guard it until a 
future occasion. The discoverer of course flies from 
the place ; and if he have picked up a few stones, or 
robbed the earth of some of its most brilliant rarities, 
he will seek the best and safest means of procuring 
value for them. If he be a man of sufficient property, 
he will hire a few mules, load them with cotton, bacon, 
and other commodities, and proceed to Rio de Janeiro 
in regular form. On his arrival there, he enters some 
good house in which he has confidence, and disposes 
of his concealed treasure. His mind is then relieved 
from apprehension, and he begins to make preparations 
for his return. His first care is to lay out his money 
to the best advantage : negroes are his chief object, and 
these pay a duty to the state on their leaving Angola, 
and another of ten milreis each on entering the mining 
country. If they be employed in mining, Government 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



265 



obtains a fifth of the gold found, and if in agriculture, 
a tenth of the produce is exacted. The next object of 
the adventurer is to lay in a stock of woollens, and 
other English manufactures, which pay a duty of fif- 
teen per cent, on being landed, and are subject to 
another, according to their weight, on entering the 
territory of the mines. Thus it really appears that 
most of the contraband property is divided between 
the state and the smuggler : but this is not all ; the 
diamonds are sent out of the country, and real effects of 
value are received in return, leaving a balance much 
in favour of Brazil. 

This illicit trade has been carried on to a very con- 
siderable extent : there is strong presumptive authority 
for stating that, since the first discovery of the mines, 
diamonds to the amount of two millions sterling have 
thus found their way to Europe, exclusive of what the 
contractors accounted for. This has been owing to the 
ill management of the whole establishment, and to the 
total want of necessary regulations, which have prevail- 
ed so long, that it will not be easy to apply a remedy. 
Let us suppose for a moment the system to be changed ; 
the two thousand negroes employed in the establish- 
ment to be the property of the crown (whom two years' 
profit of the diamond mines would be adequate to pur- 
chase ; ) these negroes to be supplied with every article 
for their support from a general store, and to be treated 
as mildly as possible : they would then form a society, 
and, knowing no other masters than their officers, would 
have only one common interest to serve. The contra- 
band trade by this means, though perhaps not totally 
destroyed, would receive an irrecoverable blow, and 
would be reduced almost to nothing. Should such a 
change take place, the shopkeepers, and those persons 
who subsist by hiring negroes to the works, would 
find the source of their emoluments dried up, and, 
rather than remain at Tejuco, would migrate to situa- 
tions more congenial to their interests : thus the district 
would be freed from that bane which has so long over- 
run it, and Government would reap the advantage of 

L L 



266 



TRAVELS IN THE 



having the mines worked by their own negroes, whom 
it would be difficult for others to seduce. 

Another evil which such a change of system would 
be calculated to remove, is the following ; — Every 
article of sustenance required for the establishment is 
purchased of farmers who reside a few leagues from 
, Tejuco, or who have farms at a greater distance ; and 
this absurd practice is the cause of much unnecessary 
intercourse. There are thousands of acres of excellent 
land in the vicinity of the diamond works, having 
choice of situation, and fit for the growth of every 
species of produce. How well might a part of the 
force above-mentioned be occasionally spared for a few 
days only, to be employed in the first operations of 
husbandry, which would be, to inclose a sufficient 
quantity of ground in various parts for the maintenance 
of the establishment. A certain number of negroes 
would be allotted, in proportion to the land under cul- 
tivation, and on particular occasions, as in harvest, an 
auxiliary force would be always at hand. This would 
be farming with double advantage. The plough would 
work instead of the hoe. After- crops would be sown to 
be eaten off the ground, which would thus be enriched 
and kept in good condition. Numbers of acres would 
be planted with artificial grass, subject to irrigation 
where that was practicable, and thus, contrary to the 
general practice, the cattle would be provided with 
subsistence in the dry season. Indian corn, wheat, 
mandioca feijones, potatoes, &c. would be cultivated, 
and, under proper management, would yield crops 
equal to the most sanguine expectation. Store-houses, 
with requisite conveniences, would soon be erected, 
in which the grain might be kept without spoiling. 
Thus would the first principles of husbandry be in- 
troduced into the district, and prove a source of more 
lasting benefit to the state than mines either of gold or 
diamonds ; for when the latter were exhausted there 
would remain an active and industrious population. It 
seems, indeed, to have been the purpose of nature, in 
distributing these precious substances in these remote 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



267 



and almost unknown parts, to allure civilized men to 
settle upon them. 

From the circumstances which have been already 
explained, it will appear that, under the present system, 
the Government pay for all the diamonds that are 
found here, and probably receive little more than one- 
half ; therefore it is evident that those conveyed through 
other channels can be sold to the public at a lower 
price than that at which the former are obtained. But 
the embarrassed state of the establishment is such, that 
the managers cannot lessen their expences, being oblig- 
ed to take credit for every article, and to hire almost 
any negroes that are offered. These evils have taken 
too deep root to be eradicated, even by the abilities of 
the present Intendant : had such a man been placed 
here forty years ago, empowered to act without con* 
troul, and to govern the district as private property, on 
the principles above stated, he might have rendered it 
rich and independent. 

As all the diamonds found in these works belong to 
the crown, the royal family have been accustomed to 
select from the quantity annually remitted whatever 
stones they considered worthy their notice, which were 
generally those exceeding seventeen carats. They 
were formerly sent to Holland to be cut, the Dutch 
being the contractors of the diamonds, from the first 
discovery of the mines ; but since the emigration of 
the court to Rio de Janeiro, that trade has been trans- 
ferred to England, where these precious stones annually 
arrive, and are sold by private contract. 

The collection of diamonds now in the possession of 
the Prince Regent is unequalled in number, size, and 
quality, by that of any potentate in the world ; and I 
am credibly informed that it exceeds in value three 
millions sterling. 

This district has a direct communication with Bahia, 
and a few troops of mules are continually employed in 
going from one place to the other. The journey is 
much longer than to Rio de Janeiro, but the country 
is less mountainous ; there are fewer ranchos or hovels 



268 



TRAVELS IN THE 



on the road, and in two parts it is requisite to carry 
fresh water for two days' consumption. The commo- 
dities sent from Tcjuco and Minas Novas are very 
trivial, consisting of topazes, amethysts, and other 
stones ; in return for which are brought English fine 
manufactured goods, particularly hats, printed cottons, 
stockings, and saddles, which have been much cheaper 
in Bahia than in England. Coarser articles are gene- 
rally sent from Rio de Janeiro, the distance being, as 
before observed, much shorter. 

Of navigable rivers we can say but little. The 
many small streams that rise in various parts join, and 
form the Jigitonhonda, which, as before observed, may 
be navigated to sea, without any impediment, in at most 
ten days time. How much would the country be be- 
nefited if a port w r ere established at the entrance of this 
river, and vessels were allowed to load and unload ; 
canoes would find their way from thence into the inte- 
rior in the short space of twenty days, loaded with every 
article necessary for the consumption of the district. 
How superior would this mode of conveyance be to 
that of making roads through impervious woods, and 
over almost impassable mountains. How many thou- 
sands of crusades annually expended on mules would 
be thus saved to the public, and what numbers of men 
would thus be trained for the service of the marine, 
instead of those now employed as muleteers. With the 
advantage of such a communication, Minas Novas and 
Cerro do Frio would soon more than double their po- 
pulation, and it might be anticipated that the banks of 
these fine rivers, now lying deserted and useless, would 
bloom with every variety of vegetation which this genial 
climate is capable of producing. 

Under the present system Tejuco ought to maintain 
itself, and have the least possible intercourse with other 
places. Its commerce ought to be confined wholly to 
gold and precious stones ; but should Government de- 
termine to make diamonds a free trade, then a contrary 
policy would be requisite. On this subject I shall, in 
the sequel, have some observations to make-. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



269 



The quadrupeds of Cerro do Frio are common to 
other parts of Brazil. Mules are the principal beasts 
of burthen, and are much dearer than in the districts 
more to the southward. Horses are not so numerous, 
but cheaper, being in very little request, and used only 
on journeys of pleasure. Horned cattle are bred at a 
considerable distance, and brought for the consumption 
of the place. Sheep are almost unknown; hogs and 
goats are more plentiful ; of dogs there are but few, and 
the race is very indifferent. Ounces are very seldom 
seen ; there are not many deer ; the danta, or tapir, is 
not uncommon. 

Of birds there are a few varieties, but in no great num- 
bers : partridges are rather common ; we shot several in 
our way to the different mines, which proved good 
eating. Domestic fowls are in tolerable plenty, but 
by no means cheap, being eigh teen-pence to two shil- 
lings each. 

Of serpents, I saw only one, and it was harmless : 
but I was informed that the rattle-snake and the jararaca, 
both equally venomous, are common in this district. 
Lizards are very numerous, and the cayman, or alligator, 
is found in most of the rivers. 

Fish are extremely scarce in all the streams, owing to 
the quantity of matter with which their waters are im- 
pregnated from the numerous washings. 

This district is in general free from that troublesome 
plague, the mosquito, as that insect is peculiar to low 
and swampy places, and does not bite with such disa- 
greeable effect in elevated and airy situations. Bees 
are but little attended to, and are scarcely known ; 
were the management of them better understood and 
practised by the inhabitants, they might be much in- 
creased, and wax might even be exported. 

In closing my observations on this district, I may be 
permitted to add some particulars relative to the capi- 
tal. The families whom I had the honour to visit ap- 
peared to live in great sooiability. They frequently 
form tea-parties. The dress of the ladies consists 
almost entirely of articles of English manufacture, cot- 



270 TRAVELS IN THE 

ton prints, straw hats, artificial flowers, jewelry, he. 
Owing to the great distance of Tejuco from a sea- 
port, piano-fortes have not been introduced here, or 
they would probably be in great demand ; for the ladies 
in general have a taste for music, and touch the guitar 
with great spirit and elegance. Dancing is a favourite 
amusement, and all appear much pleased and animated 
with the English country-dance. The ladies seldom 
go abroad, except to mass, and then they are usually 
carried in a chair hung with curtains and a canopy, and 
suspended from a pole, borne by two men. The se- 
dentary habits of the females I have often thought 
injurious to their health; but, since English saddles 
have been introduced, they begin to take airings on 
horseback. 

Warm baths are very generally used, being consi- 
dered of great efficacy in removing recent colds, to 
which all persons here are liable, on account of the 
peculiar nature of the climate. They are invariably 
offered at night to travellers, as a means of relieving 
the pains occasioned by the fatigues of the day. 

A continuance of ill health obliged me to take leave 
of my friends in Tejuco, and to return to Rio de 
Janeiro with all possible expedition. It will not be 
expected that I should relate all the particulars of my 
journey thither, as I retraced my former route with a 
few occasional deviations ; I shall therefore confine 
myself to whatever I saw worthy of interest which I did 
not observe on my way to Tejuco. 

Mr. De Camara did me the honour to accompany 
me as far as San Gonzales, and shewed me a work a 
short distance from the establishment, near the margin 
of a river of the same name. As I staid here one 
entire day with this gentleman, I had leisure to examine 
this singular situation, where I, for the first time, found 
mountains of sienite, incredibly hard, composed of 
hornblende and feldspar. About forty years ago this 
excavation, which was of considerable depth, was sud- 
denly filled up by the bursting-in of the side, for want 
of proper support to resist the pressure of the be urn- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



271 



bent stratum, which falling in immense masses, totally 
destroyed the works ; and they remained in this state 
until about two years ago. As the wings of vague 
report are in general much longer than those of truth, 
this place had the reputation of being extremely rich in 
diamonds, and the apparent impossibility of clearing it, 
added greatly to the credit which was given to it. Old 
inhabitants Game forward to say that they had been 
employed in the works when the accident happened, 
and that the diamonds found in them excelled in num- 
ber, size, and fineness those produced at any other 
place. These reports soon reached the ears of the 
Intendant, who, within a year after entering upon his 
office at Tejuco, formed a plan of clearing and excavate 
ing the works. Such a stupendous undertaking was 
calculated only for a man of his superior talents and 
enterprise. He stationed there four hundred negroes 
under the direction of the best officers on the esta- 
blishment ; inclined planes were formed, and pulleys 
calculated to lift immense weights were erected. As 
some of the masses of sienite were too large to be raised 
whole, and the substance was so hard that steel would 
not stand to bore it, they were obliged to contrive 
means for breaking them. Recourse was had to large 
fires, with which the rocks w T ere heated, and cold water 
was thrown upon them from tubes suspended by long 
pieces of timber formed somewhat like cranes. After 
six months of very heavy and incessant labour, the 
place was cleared. Let us for a moment reflect on the 
sanguine expectations which had been formed respect- 
ing the size of the diamonds, their number and bril- 
liancy, the honours that would be conferred on the 
officers, &x. ; and we may judge what must have been 
the general disappointment, when, after the bottom had 
been scraped, not a diamond was found ! Thus ended 
this serious trial, made at great expence, labour, and 
risk ; like many other speculations, built on the delusive 
stories propagated by old miners respecting places for- 
merly worked, by which new adventurers are tempted, 
and frequently ruined. 



272 



TRAVELS IN THE 



I continued my former route, visiting the same 
friends who had received me on my journey to Tejuco, 
until I arrived at Cocaes. In the vicinity of this place 
are found fine amethysts and crystals, through which 
titanium is interspersed. Proceeding from hence, I 
took a more easterly route to the village of Bromada, 
distant about five leagues. A great part of the road was 
covered with rich iron ore. I passed through the village 
of St. John, and entered a fine valley, through which 
ran a little rivulet, called St. Antonio ; — a more delight- 
ful place cannot be imagined : the grounds, which lay 
in gentle elevations, were capable of every kind of cul- 
tivation, and appeared calculated amply to repay the 
farmer for any labour he might bestow upon them. 
In addition to these advantages, and that of a fine cli- 
mate, this vicinity yet contains some places extremely 
rich in gold. At the end of this valley we crossed the 
rivulet over a good stone bridge, and passed through a 
pretty hamlet called Barra ; proceeding a league farther, 
we arrived at the house of Captain Jose Alvarez, who 
received me with great kindness. This being Sunday, 
many of the neighbours were on a visit to his house ; a 
sumptuous dinner had been provided, and the evening 
passed in very interesting conversation relative to the 
mode of mining in that neighbourhood. Next day I 
went to visit the gold-works belonging to this gentle- 
man, the principal of which was situated near the sum- 
mit of a mountain of argillaceous schistus, one part of 
which seemed to have slipped from the other, leaving a 
cleft of twenty feet perpendicular. The face of this 
cleft appeared of different colours, some much more 
ferruginous than others ; the parts esteemed most rich in 
gold had the appearance of irregular cavities, now filled 
by a substance not unlike ferruginous stalactite in de- 
composition. This mountain has produced a great 
quantity of gold, and continues yet rich : it may be 
truly called auriferous ; for I directed negroes to bring 
me specimens of earth from every part of the cleft, from 
the roots of the grass to the bottom, all of which I found 
to contain gold. At this place stamps are used to 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



273 



reduce the indurated substances, but they are so ill- con- 
structed as to produce but little effect. After a most 
pressing invitation to stay, and advantageous offers of 
land to a considerable extent, which I found it expedient 
to decline, I took leave of the owner of this establish- 
ment, and passed a very large house belonging to Cap- 
tain-mor Penha, a very opulent miner, who has a large 
establishment of negroes, and extensive lands. I con- 
tinued my route five leagues through an auriferous coun- 
try, passed the village of St. Barbara, and arrived at 
Catos Altos. From hence I proceeded to Villa Rica, 
without observing any thing worth notice. 

I was here received with the same attention and res- 
pect which I had experienced on my first visit. Find- 
ing it necessary to remain here a few days to recruit my 
health, I examined a variety of substances that had 
been collected for me during my absence, but was not 
fortunate enough to meet with any thing very interest- 
ing. The theatre being open, I passed two evenings 
there, and was much gratified to find that the rational 
amusement of the drama had superseded savage bull- 
fights. The theatre and decorations were neat, and the 
performances tolerable ; were they better encouraged, 
the public would receive greater gratifications. They 
have ever been under the control of the governor, and 
are generally so fettered as to be obliged to perform such 
pieces only as his caprice may dictate. 

Leaving Villa Rica, I continued my journey to the 
capital, where I arrived about the middle of February 
1810, in a most exhausted state, from the combined 
effects of fatigue and an indisposition which continual 
exertion and want of rest had increased in a considera- 
ble degree. I informed His Excellency the Conde de 
Linhares of my arrival, and, in a few days afterwards, 
had the honour of presenting to him a report, stating 
the particulars of my journey. I was afterwards intro- 
duced to the Prince, who did me the honour to express 
his approbation of my account of the country through 
which I had travelled, and requested me to publish it, 
He was gracious! v pleased to make both my attendants 

M M 



274 



TRAVELS IN THE 



officers, in reward for their good conduct; and when I 
expressed my thanks for this mark of his attention, 
he replied, that it was too trivial to notice, and desired 
me to name in what manner he could testify the sense 
he entertained of my services. At this moment my 
health was so extremely precarious, that I could not 
think of remaining in Rio de Janeiro, where I found my- 
self daily getting worse ; otherwise I have not the small- 
est doubt that the generosity of the Prince would have 
amply repaid me for the fatigues I had encountered. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



275 



CHAP. XVI. 

General View of Minus Geraes. 

THE capitania of Minas Geraes extends from 600 to 
700 miles from north to south, and about the same 
distance from east to west. It is bounded on the north 
by the capitania of Bahia. On the west by that of Goyaz. 
On the south by the river Paraibuna, which divides it 
from the capitania of Rio de Janeiro. It is separated 
from the district of Espiritu Santo and the coast by an 
immense chain of mountains, which country, being 
inhabited by the Anthropophagi, is of course very little 
known. 

This capitania is estimated to contain three hundred 
and sixty thousand inhabitants, of whom two hundred 
thousand are negroes, or their immediate offspring. The 
population of Indians is not included in this estimate, 
nor can it be ascertained ; they are considered as by no 
means numerous, as they never make any opposition 
against an armed force, however small. In the course 
of my journey I did not see one, except the child at the 
village of Concepgao, nor did I ever hear of any of them 
becoming civilized, or living in any of the villages with 
the settled inhabitants.* 

The regular military establishment of the capitania is 
very respectable, and consists of 1400 cavalry, which 
number is prescribed by law, and cannot be augmented. 
Their principal station is at Villa Rica, where the gene- 
ral resides, who, jointly with the governor, issues ail or- 



* From all accounts relative to the Indians, either by the officers em- 
ployed against them, and better acquainted with their habits than other 
men, or from any of the settlers who live near the coast, it does not appear 
that they have the smallest knowledge of gold or of precious stones ; hence 
they can in no degree have contributed to the discovery of those treasures 
in the district. 



276 



TRAVELS IN THE 



ders respecting them. They form a disposeable force 
for the general service of the capitania ; they are ap- 
pointed to guard certain places known to contain valua- 
ble products ; also to receive tolls, collect tythes, patrole 
the roads, and search suspicious persons, for which 
purposes, parties of them are stationed at the various 
guard-houses and registers. They go in quest of felons, 
guard the prisons, and likewise execute orders to im- 
press men levied for service in Rio de Janeiro. They 
are employed exclusively in the mining country, which 
they never quit, except when they escort diamonds and 
treasure to the capital, or are dispatched on any particu- 
lar service. The regiment is a very fine one, and enjoys 
so high a reputation, that numbers are continually offer- 
ing to enlist in it. While I was at Villa Rica nearly 
two hundred volunteers were serving, without any re- 
muneration whatever, waiting to be placed on the esta- 
blishment according to their seniority, as vacancies 
should occur. This affords the general an opportunity 
of choosing the most soldier-like men, and those of best 
character, in which respects it is asserted, and I believe 
with great truth, that the corps is unrivalled. The offi- 
cers enter very young, and serve as cadets for a certain 
period, during which they perform the duty and receive 
the pay of privates, from whom they are distinguished 
by a star on the right shoulder, and generally exercise 
together. They are promoted according to seniority. 

Besides this force, there is a militia, in which all the 
male inhabitants of the capitania are enrolled, and are 
liable to be called out when occasions require. It is a 
part of the present policy of the Prince's ministers to 
stimulate the Creolians to active occupations, by ob- 
liging them either to till their grounds, or to enter the 
ranks and become soldiers. 

The known produce of this vast extent of territory 
comes next under consideration. On this subject I 
shall not follow a variety of vague accounts, which have 
been compiled with little regard to truth, but shall pre- 
sent to the reader the result of my own observations. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



277" 



The great quantities of gold, precious stones, iron 5 
&c. produced in this country have been largely treated 
upon. Galena, or sulphuret of lead, is found only near 
Abaite. Antimony abounds in the vicinity of Sahara. 
Native bismuth is found near Villa Rica ; arsenical and 
martial pyrites are very common. Titanium is found 
in octaedral crystals, also in beautiful prisms and tender 
spiculae, finely grouped in rock crystal. Platina may 
be obtained in tolerable quantities at Largos, but the 
place which produces it has been abandoned from want 
of a market. Chromate of lead, I was informed, is 
found in the vicinity of Cocaes ; I saw several pieces in 
the possession of Dr. Gomedez of that place. At Te~ 
juco, also, I was shewn some, and was presented with 
two pieces, which are uncommonly fine, more brilliant 
in colour than that from Siberia, and distinctly crystal- 
lized on a matrix of granular sand-stone, accompanied 
with the green oxide of chrome. Copper can scarcely 
be said to exist in this country ; the only place at present 
known to produce it, is a mountain twenty leagues 
from Tejuco, where small particles appear in a rock of 
quartz and hornblende. The matrix is so hard, and the 
quantity of copper so trivial, as to afford no encourage- 
ment to work it. The place has been examined by the 
Intendant, and is known to most persons in Tejuco.* 
No mines of silver have been discovered in the capitania, 
but the gold is generally found to contain that precious 
metal, sometimes in great proportion. No tin, cobalt, 
or any other metal, except those above mentioned, has 
been hitherto met with. 

Of salts, impure nitrate of potass is formed in great 
abundance, generally, if not always, in calcareous situ- 
ations, in a tract of country which commences from 
ten to fourteen degrees west of Tejuco, particularly at 



* At a place called Caldrones, near to Oro Branco, 1 received two bits of 
this metal, but they were so small and disfigured, as to leave strong- doubts 
respecting- their being natural ; the more so, by reason of the many impo- 
sitions that were attempted to be practised upon me by false specimens of 
copper ores, silver, &c. 



273 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Monte Rodrigo, which is situated between the two 
celebrated rivers called Rio dos Velhos and Parauna. 
This mountain is very large and well-wooded. The 
stratum is calcareous, and contains many caves furred, 
as it were, with nitrate of potass. Since Government 
has made nitre an object of commerce, and encouraged 
its production, many families have settled at this place, 
and have collected large quantities of this saliferous sub- 
stance, which, after several operations, is sent to Rio 
de Janeiro, where it is refined for the great powder- 
manufactory recently established near that city. 

In various places are found the finest clays in great 
plenty, fit for porcelain and earthenware of every des- 
cription, which are entirely neglected. In other parts I 
saw cyanite, actinolite, tremolite, pot-stone, and chlorite. 
Conglomerate asses of recent formation, enveloping 
diamonds and grains of gold, are sometimes, though 
rarely, met with ; also a siliceous substance of a fine 
dark-blue colour, probably totally unknown. 

On the vegetable products of this capitania I have 
but few observations to make, m addition to those al- 
ready given in the course of my narrative. Many parts 
are well calculated for the growth of hemp and flax, and 
water for steeping them is easily attained in most situa- 
tions ; so that the only impediment to the introduction 
of these useful plants appears to be the labour required 
to clean them. 

In the immense woods the finest trees are frequently 
destroyed by the creeping plants, which cannot grow 
without adhering to some support. When they attach 
themselves to a tree, they shoot up very rapidly, encir- 
cling it with numerous fibres, and in a few years be- 
come so strong as entirely to stop the growth of the tree, 
and at length destroy it. When in a young state, they 
are so flexible as to be used for ordinary purposes in- 
stead of cords. I have seen negroes make their bridles 
of them, and ride with them for a day together. 

As these forests remain unexplored, many of the trees 
are unknown, and consequently the qualities of their 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 279 

barks. However, there are some used by the inhabi- 
tants in dyeing yellow ; and I was informed some 
yielded a black colour that could not be washed out. 
There is a variety which serves for curing skins, or 
tanning, some of which give the hide a red colour, 
others leave it almost white : but this art is so little 
known, and the people are so averse to employments of 
this sort, that it has hitherto made little progress. 

Gum tragacanth is in great plenty, and of a very 
good quality. There are immense quantities of aroma- 
tic shrubs ; and I found in many places upon the bark 
of trees, and more particularly upon old wood, a lichen, 
which yielded to water a most beautiful crimson colour.* 
Jointed canes grow spontaneously, frequently above thirty 
feet long, and in many places form arcades over the 
road: these plants always indicate the soil to be very 
fertile. 

Ferns grow so large, as almost to lose their charac- 
teristic : I have frequently seen them twelve feet high. 
These and other succulent plants, when reduced to ashts, 
serve to make soap, of which almost every negra knows 
the process, and most families make for their own 
use. It is very sharp, and washes white articles un- 



* A part of the lichen which I brought home with me I presented 
to a gentleman who was fond of chemical experiments : he obtained 
from the small quantity of three grains as much colouring matter as 
imparted to an ounce of fluid a deep purple, sufficiently strong for every 
purpose of dyeing. 

The following are the results of some experiments which he did me the 
favour to make : 

White sewing-silk, put into an alcoholic solution only once, received a 
fine strong purple. 

Part of a skein of the same material was put into a solution of potash, 
which produced a purple deeper in hue than the former. 

Cotton thread and worsted yarn, immersed only once in the same solution, 
produced very nearly the same colours. 

The part of a skein of silk dyed in the alcoholic solution was immersed in 
a .solution of muriate of tin, which produced a beautiful lilac, approaching 
to dove-coloured blue. The same substance dyed in a solution of potash, 
and immersed in a solution of muriate of tin, became a few shades darker, 
and rather more of a pink hue. These are not unfavourable results from a 
quantity so minute ; and I feel confident that this substance may be ren- 
dered a very valuable article of trade. 



280 



TRAVELS IN THE 



commonly well.* In this fine country, where almost 
every gradation of climate may be found, European 
fruits, such as olives, almonds, chesnuts, mulberries, 
&c. would thrive, if properly attended to. 

The mulberry is cultivated at one place, where I saw 
a few silk worms. The climate is favourable to them, 
but the population is not sufficient to carry the breeding 
of them to any extent, as they require great attendance 
and care. 

Cochineal may be said to be almost unknown in the 
capitania. The palma Christi grows spontaneously, and 
from its seeds great quantities of castor oil may be ex- 
tracted. For bananas and other tropical fruits the climate 
is not sufficiently hot, and is too changeable. Beans, 
peas, and pulse in general, are very fine ; pumpkins also, 
and cabbages grow to a great size. It is a fine country 
for flowers ; the rose is extremely fragrant, and is in 
bloom all the year. Varieties of the passion-flower are 
found in all parts. Pinks and carnations, with number- 
less other flowers, grow in great profusion. 

This capitania contains four comarcos, or districts, 
St. Joao del Rey, Sabara, Villa Rica, and Cerro do 
Frio, all of which produced much more gold a few 
years after their discovery than at present, though in the 
years 1809 Villa Rica alone received for gold permuted 
a hundred and six arrobas of thirty-two pounds each. 
The mines in the other three comarcos cannot be rated 
to permute less than from fifteen to twenty arrobas, 
therefore the capitania may be estimated to yield to Go- 
vernment, as the annual fifth, a quantity not less than 
one hundred and fifty arrobas. 

St. Joao del Rey, the capital of the district so called, 
is a considerable town, and contains at least five thou- 
sand inhabitants. It is situated near the Rio das Mor- 
tes, which runs northerly, and empties itself into the 



* In many parts of the coast, the plant which produces the barilla 
would probably flourish abundantly, if introduced, and would form an 
excellent article of commerce, not only for exportation, but for home 
consumption. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



281 



Rio das Velhas. The country around it is very fertile 9 
and produces excellent fruits, both exotic and indige- 
nous ; also Indian corn, and beans in great quantities ; 
a little wheat, &c. This comarco being more cultivat- 
ed than any other part, is called the granary of the dis- 
trict. Cheese is made here in tolerable quantity, and 
bacon very indifferently cured, both which are sent to 
Rio de Janeiro, and form a considerable trade. Great 
numbers of fowls are also sent thither, and a little rum, 
sup-ar, and coffee. Provisions of all kinds are much 
cheaper than at Villa Rica ; pork and beef are about a 
penny per pound, poultry in proportion, and vegetables 
equally cheap. 

About two leagues distant from the town is the rivu- 
let of San Jose,* formerly abounding in gold- washings, 
some of which continue good, particularly those in the 
vicinity of a pretty village, called Campanha. In the 
neighbourhood is a mountain that produces a great 
quantity of iron pyrites, which many people believe to 
be gold, and say that no method is yet known for ex- 
tracting it. In this district are a great number of pines 
of a very singular variety, from the bark of which 
exudes much resinous gum. The wood is of a fine 
brown-red colour, full of knots, and inconceivably 
hard. 

Some cotton, although not very considerable in 
quantity, is grown in this district ; it is spun by hand, 
and woven into coarse clothing, generally for the use 
of the negroes. Finer cloth is sometimes woven for 
table linen. The making of lace is a favourite occu- 
pation with the ladies of St. Joao del Rey, who are re- 
puted to be more attentive to domestic concerns than 
those of other towns, many of them being descendants 
of the Paulistas, so celebrated for industry and economy. 

The district of Sahara was discovered and settled by 
the Paulistas, who took possession of it as early as the 
year 1690, or, according to some accounts, twenty 



* There are several rivulets in various parts that bear this name. 

Nh 



282 



TRAVELS IN THE 



years earlier. They founded the town which is now 
the capital of the district, and worked several gold- 
mines in its neighbourhood, the produce of which they * 
sent to their native place, as it was their custom to do 
with all the gold found in the various parts which they 
explored ; on this account the city of St. Paul's acqui- 
red a much higher rcpu cation for riches than it merited, 
it being generally believed that all the gold sent from 
thence was procured in that vicinity. Some years after 
the establishment of Sabara, the Court of Lisbon sent 
out a nobleman as governor to reduce the settlers, and 
to oblige them to pay a tribute in conformity to the 
laws of the colony. The settlers took up arms, and 
several encounters took place, in one of which the no- 
bleman was killed: but, after some time, the viceroy 
sent great reinforcements into the interior, and qwelled 
the insurgents, who submitted to pay a fifth of the gold 
produced. A person of the name of Artis, who was a 
man of great intrepidity and perseverance, and had made 
considerable discoveries in the neighbourhood, was 
afterwards appointed governor, and this proved the 
means of reconciling all parties. 

While the Paulistas remained within their own ter- 
ritory, they were not, in any instance of which there is 
record, inimical to Government : but after they had 
formed a large settlement, and were become populous, 
they were not contented with living in as fine a climate 
and as fertile a soil as imagination can conceive, but 
began to migrate in search of gold, traversing unknown 
countries, and encountering every species of fatigue. — 
When they had explored and occupied rich districts, at 
the expence of many lives and indescribable hardships^ 
it is not a matter of surprise that they should be desi- 
rous to maintain their right to them by every means in 
their power. These enterprising men were the only 
active adventurers in the colony. They knew their own 
superiority to the rest of the inhabitants, and a sense of 
it inclined them to oppose Government, who failed 
not to bestow upon them epithets which they little de- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



283 



served. It is well known, however, that, in the colonial 
war of 1770, the troops of the Portugueze government 
would have made but a wretched figure without the 
Paulistas in the Paraguay, and the very extensive terri- 
tories in Matto Grosso, and to the north-west, where 
they penetrated and formed settlements, almost in Peru. 
They acted as cavalry only, and in a manner peculiar 
to themselves, which was so full of stratagem and sur- 
prize, that the Spaniards were generally driven, panic- 
struck, from their possessions. Their exploits are re- 
cited with enthusiasm by their descendants, who, ever 
remembering the prejudices which the Spaniards enter- 
tain against their nation, ardently desire an opportunity 
of emulating their ancestors. In the war above-men- 
tioned, the Portugueze troops, under Captain Coimbra 
de Suara, took in an instant the important settlement of 
Rio Grande de St- Pedro, which yet remains in their 
possession ; and it is thought that the whole territory on 
the north side of the Plata would be a very easy con- 
quest, which the Paulistas alone would gladly volunteer 
to accomplish. I cannot conclude this digression with- 
out observing, in contradiction to the opprobrium and 
calumny bestowed on these men, and the false charges 
of discontent and rebellion which have been brought 
against them, that the Prince has not more loyal sub- 
jects in any part of his dominions. 

Respecting the working of the mines throughout 
this capitania, it has been already observed, that much 
loss of time and labour is occasioned by the want of 
machinery, and proper implements for the workmen. — 
Not a cart or wheel-barrow is in use : every thing ne- 
cessary to be removed is carried on the heads of the 
poor negroes, in gamellas, who have in many instances 
to climb up steep ascents, where inclined planes might 
be employed to great advantage, and would be formed 
with very little trouble. The caisson is the only hy- 
draulic machine known, and is very generally adopted : 
but it is constructed with great difficulty and expence, 
and can be used only where a strong current of water 



284 



TRAVELS IN THE 



can be commanded. Pumps might, at very trivial 
expence, be constructed on the plan of the machines 
used to pound their Indian corn. 

The tedious process of washing the cascalhao for 
gold in gamellas, would be much shortened by using 
the machine of which the following is a description — 
Suppose a cylinder to be formed of bars of iron longi- 
tudinally placed, and nailed to circles of wood, open at 
each end, and suspended on two centres, one about 
sixteen inches higher than the other. At the highest 
end the cascalhao is to enter by being put into a hop- 
per which communicates with it. The bars must be 
nailed almost close to each other at the upper end, 
gradually widening to the lower end, where they should 
be about half an inch asunder. The cylinder ought to 
be from ten to fifteen feet long, and a stream of water 
conducted to fall upon it length- wise : it should be in- 
closed, like a dressing-machine in a flour-mill, and be 
subjected to a very quick motion. The portion of cas- 
calhao containing the most gold will by gravity fall 
through near the upper end ; the other parts, according 
to their comparitive fineness, gradually descending until 
nothing but the pebbles fall out at the lower end. The 
earth and ferruginous oxide, falling into partitions or 
troughs below the cylinder, would be ready for being 
purified or separated from the gold by hand, which 
might be done with very little trouble. Machines of 
this kind might be made on any scale, and, if generally 
known and adopted, would save the labour of the ne- 
groes in a ten-fold degree. The one constructing in 
Cerro do Frio will, when complete, do more work than 
a hundred negroes in the same space of time. A con- 
siderable improvement might yet be made in this use- 
ful apparatus ; for, if the gold, &x. washed from the 
machine were to fall upon troughs placed in an inclined 
position, having a channel across about a yard from the 
upper end,* all the gold would precipitate into it, and, 



* It necessary, another channel might be made at a convenient distance 
from the first. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



28$ 



if a negro were to be continually employed in agitating 
the water, the earthy matter would run off, leaving 
only the gold and the ferruginous particles, which might 
be easily separated by mercury.* The utility of ma- 
chinery of this kind is too obvious to need pointing 
out 

Mills composed of three heavy irregular stones, re- 
sembling our flint-mills, would reduce many of the 
ferruginous cementations and softer substances which 
contain gold. The matter thus reduced might be im- 
mediately washed by falling or being put into the in- 
clined planes before described, and would, no doubt, 
prove the means of obtaining considerable quantities of 
the precious metal, which would be otherwise lost. 
Stamps might be useful where gold is found in hard 
and brittle substances ; but these might be more effec- 
tually pulverized by a heavy stone rolling upon its edge, 
not unlike a tanner's bark -mill 

In many instances, hand-sieves might be useful, and 
would save much time and labour in washing, but per- 
haps they would be too expensive. Even miners' tools 
are much wanted, the only ones in use being the iron 
bar and the hoe. The common miner's pick-axe would 
in many cases be serviceable, and bucking-irons would 
reduce the matrix much more effectually than beating 
it with stones, which is the only mode now practised. 
It is a most unfortunate circumstance, and very detri- 
mental to the interests of the miners, that whatever is 
made of iron is so dear as to be beyond the means of 
the inhabitants to procure, nor have they any substitute 
for it. 

When the present state of the mining country is con- 
sidered, and its rich resources are compared with the 
want of science, which prevents the inhabitants from 
improving them, how much is it to be wished that 
Government would establish and encourage economical 



* It cannot be too much recommended to Government to introduce the 
process of a malgamation -generally throughout the mines. 



286 



TRAVELS "IN THE 



societies on the plan of our Society of Arts, Manufac- 
tures, and Commerce, in which inquiries might be 
made into all subjects relative to the useful arts. Re- 
positories also might be established in all the principal 
towns of the capitania, where models of useful machine- 
ry and various implements might be kept for the inspec- 
tion of the public. Scientific publications should be 
purchased, and every means employed to promote the 
cultivation of science among the inhabitants. At the 
meetings of the societies, every measure tending to in- 
crease the commerce of the district should be discussed 
with particular attention ; honorary gifts should be made 
to those who most promoted its welfare, and premiums 
should be offered for the encouragement of all attempts 
to ameliorate the condition of the negroes. Although 
these poor captives are in general much better treated 
in Brazil than in many other colonies, yet their welfare is 
a consideration which ought always to be uppermost in 
the minds of the philanthropic. Among other subjects 
that merit the encouragement of such a society, are the 
growth of hemp and flax. The improvement of the 
cotton, which of late years has been much neglected ; 
of coffee, which may be almost said to be unattended 
to ; and of rum, which is so very indifferent, and which, 
with better management, might be made so much su- 
perior. A better mode of farming might be introduc- 
ed, — the culture of grass for cattle better attended to- 
ne w modes of washing for gold and diamonds invented, 
that the negroes might work in an upright position. 

Were such societies formed under the patronage of 
the Prince Regent, great improvements might be ex- 
pected in every department of rural economy ; the coun- 
try would be better cultivated, its mines would be 
worked to greater advantage, and many new produc- 
tions, both mineral and vegetable, would in all proba- 
bility soon be discovered. Through the influence of 
these philosophic meetings, information would be gene- 
rally communicated, a spirit of enquiry would be awak- 
ened among the people ; they would learn to appreciate 
the blessings with which nature has enriched their 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



287 



country ; they would introduce the modern improve- 
ments of Europe ; as they became enlightened, they 
would become industrious, and would much surpass 
their neighbours, who would look up to them for in- 
struction and example. 

What objection can be made to a measure which 
promises to benefit alike the subjects and the state ? 
Even the most narrow-minded policy cannot find a 
pretext for keeping a whole people in ignorance ; for 
to be informed is to be useful, and every portion of 
knowledge imparted to them redounds to the interest 
of the government. There can be no doubt that the 
present enlightened ministers of the court of Rio de Ja- 
neiro will endeavour to promote the sciences among a 
people so capable of attaining a proficiency in them, 
and of converting their acquirements to useful purpos- 
es. From the introduction of such a measure, might 
be dated a total change in the moral character and 
general habits of the Brazilians. Instruction would 
be imparted to all classes. Emulation would be en- 
kindled among them, — and useful knowledge, descend- 
ing from parent to child, would soon be universally dif- 
fused. This would be the true foundation of the pros- 
perity of the country : for no territory perhaps in the 
world is so rich in natural products, and at the same 
time so neglected for want of an enlightened and indus- 
trious population.* 



* Is it not singular, that in all this long list of improvements, that the free- 
dom and security of the body of the people is not even mentioned. To what 
purposes would expensive establishments be formed in countries where the 
caprice of power, might render all efforts abortive ? — Can any very high 
point of civilized acquirement be attained under the debilitating influence of 
political and ecclesiastical tyranny ? — None. All the amelioration proposed 
by our author, must be the effect, and not the cause, of liberty of person and 
security of property. — American Editor. 



288 



TRAVELS IN THE 



CHAP. XVII. 

Brief Notices on the Capitanias of Bahia* Pernambucc* 
Seara, Maranham^ Para, and Goyaz* 

THE capitania of Bahia, to the northward of Minas 
Geraes, comes next under consideration, respect- 
ing which, as I did not visit it, I have only to present 
some observations from the best information I could 
procure. It extends a considerable distance along the 
coast, being bounded on the north by the great river 
St. Francisco, which runs into the sea inlat. 11 Q south, 
and separated from the district of Ilheos (formerly a 
capitania) by the river Das Contas inlat, 14 Q south. 
It receives its name from the capacious bay on*which 
its capital is biplt, and which affords excellent anchor- 
age for ships of any burthen. St. Salvador, the capital, 
also called Cidade de Bahia, was originally the seat of 
the supreme government of Brazil. It consists of two 
parts, one built on low ground near the shore, where 
the commerce is carried on, and the other on a high 
hill, which being considered the most healthy, is the 
residence of all the people of consequence. Its popu- 
lation is said to be nearly equal to that of Rio de Janei- 
ro, and is stated at not less than seventy thousand souls. 
The houses are built with latticed windows and balco- 
nies, similar to those in Rio de Janeiro. The churches 
are the public buildings most worthy of notice : they 
are said to be richly ornamented within. The govern- 
ment of the city is vested in a viceroy or governor, who 
is nominated by the court for three years. Here all 
law proceedings, civil and criminal, come before the 
respective magistrates, whose sentence is in general 
final, though appeals in certain cases may be made to 
the court at Rio de Janeiro. 

The town is tolerably defended, also the bay, as well 
as circumstances will permit. On the shore is a royal 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



289 



arsenal, and numerous houses for stores, &c. The cus- 
tom-house and wharfs are conveniently situated. Ships 
of war have been built here, also many very largeand 
fine vessels for the merchant service. For these pur- 
poses a large supply of fine timber was (and, I presume, 
continues to be) readily obtained from the interior from 
the number of fine rivers which flow into the bay. The 
wood holds iron better and is superior to our oak. 

The manners and customs of the people differ little 
from those of the inhabitants of the capital ; but it is 
said that in the best societies here, more gaiety and re- 
finement prevail, and the higher classes are more socia- 
ble, than in Rio de Janeiro. A taste for music is 
general ; there are few houses without the guitar, and 
all the more respectable families have piano-fortes. The 
ladies dress in the English style, and ornament them- 
selves with gold chains : they wear very few diamonds ; 
their favourite gem is the chrysolite. For deshabille at 
home they wear a kind of loose dress, over which they 
throw a veil on the entrance of strangers. They are 
considered as far less industrious than the females of the 
southern districts. The domestic dress of the men con- 
sists of a jacket and loose trowsers, made of light print- 
ed cotton. 

Religious processions take place here, as in Rio de 
Janeiro, on great festivals and rejoicing days ; and these 
festive occasions are distinguished by various amuse- 
ments, which continue from morning to night. At these 
times the Brazilians have a custom of covering the 
walls and balconies of their houses with beautiful silks 
made and ornamented for the purpose. 

One of the most memorable seasons of rejoicing of 
late years was when the Prince touched at this city on 
his voyage to Rio de Janeiro, and remained several 
days. The inhabitants testified their loyalty and at- 
tachment to him by every public demonstration of joy s 
and by a display of all the grandeur and magnificence 
which they had means to furnish. As a more solid 
proof of their attachment and regard, they unanimously 
voted to subscribe a sum equal to half a million sterling 

O o 



290 



TRAVELS IN THE 



to build a palace for the royal family, if the Prince 
would condescend to reside among them. 

The climate is always warm, but is refreshed by the 
sea-breeze, and is in some degree tempered by the 
long absence of the sun, the nights being of almost uni- 
form length throughout the year. Though hotter 
than Rio de Janeiro, Bahia is considered much more 
healthful, having a more airy situation, and being better 
supplied with water. The practice of bathing is very 
general, and most of the houses have conveniences for 
this purpose. 

Bahia is plentifully supplied with provisions. Beef 
and pork are in abundance ; the former is decidedly 
bad, the latter tolerable. Fish are in great plenty and 
variety, and form a principal article in the diet of the in- 
habitants. Cold fish, with sallad, is the general supper 
of almost all ranks ; even the rich desire nothing more 
for this repast in their families. Numbers of retail 
shop-keepers, who sell wine, cheese, groceries, &c., 
buy fish and fry it, and afterwards retail it in small 
quantities. Poultry is in plenty, but not cheap. Vege- 
tables, and pulse of every description, are in very great 
profusion. The markets are well supplied with all the 
tropical fruits, many of which are said to be in great 
perfection, particularly the pine, the mango, and the 
banana : the latter is esteemed the best in America. 
Preserved fruits are in great abundance, owing to the 
cheapness of sugar; great varieties of them are sold in 
the streets, and two or three preserved limes in a cup 
of syrup may be bought for a penny. Even the lower 
orders conclude the meanest dinner with this delicious 
delicacy. 

The inns, and houses for the accommodation of 
strangers, are as bad, if not worse, here than in any other 
part of Brazil The owners are indifferent to the com- 
fort of their guests, and, indeed, have no motive to be 
otherwise ; for the Portugueze pay very poorly for 
bare necessaries, and generally go to the place where 
they can obtain them the cheapest. 

The soil of this capitania is peculiar, and is esteemed 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



291 



the best in Brazil for the growth of the sugar-cane. 
This advantage, and the conveniences arising from the 
numerous rivers that flow from the interior into the bay, 
have occasioned the establishment of many sugar plan- 
tations, undoubtedly the finest in the country, which 
have produced immense quantities of that article. The 
soil most adapted to the plant, and held in the highest 
estimation, is a black greasy loam, apparently a depo- 
sition from the rivers, containing a large quantity of 
vegetable matter. 

The mode of cultivating the cane has already been 
detailed. If planted in new soil, it is fit for cutting in 
fourteen months, but in old and poorer land it requires 
eighteen or twenty months. When ripe, the canes 
are cut and dressed by taking off the top leaves, &c, 
which afford excellent provender for cattle ; they are 
then brought to the mill, which is composed of three 
wooden or iron cylinders, moving on their axes in a 
perpendicular position, and between them the canes are 
repeatedly passed until all the juice is expressed, and 
they are reduced to a mass of dry fibres. 

The liquor is conducted through spouts to a large 
boiler or clarifier, where a certain quantity of alkaline 
matter, called temper, is added to it.* Afterwards it 
is conducted to the largest of a range of boilers, con- 
sisting of three, or sometimes four, one less than an- 
other. The largest seldom contains more than one 
hundred gallons. Here the syrup boils for a certain 
time, and is continually skimmed ; it is then laded to 
the next, where it continues to boil until more of the 
aqueous fluid is evaporated ; after which, it is laded 
into the third boiler, and is there sometimes sufficiently 
boiled without removing it into the fourth. They 
judge of its consistency by the touch ; a little of the 
syrup is taken between the thumb and finger, and if it 



* A lixivium of strong ashes is made, and a quantity of lime is put into 
the alkaline liquor : or sometimes the ashes are mixed with a large propor- 
tion of lime, and the clear liquor running from the mixture is added to the 
fluid in various quantities, at the discretion of the negro who manages the 
process, without one ray of knowledge relative to its nature. 



292 



TRAVELS IN THE 



forms threads, and breaks on being drawn about an 
inch, it is supposed to be boiled sufficiently.* It is then 
gently laded into earthen pots of the form of a sugar- 
loaf, about two feet deep and ten inches in diameter at 
the open end, where, on cooling, it becomes concrete. 
In the lower end of each pot is a small hole, which at 
first is nearly closed ; but after the sugar begins to cool, 
it is unstopped, and a piece of cane is put in to admit 
the molasses to drain. Soon after the moulds are filled, 
they are removed into an airy room, where they are 
placed, so that the molasses drain into a large cistern, 
from whence they are conveyed into the fermenting 
vats, which are receptacles for all the refuse of every 
description in the sugar-house In the process of fer- 
mentation much depends on the quality of the wood of 
which the vats are made ; some of them bring the 
liquor into a proper state for distillation two or three 
days sooner than others. 

The greatest part of the sugars made here are clayed, 
by a very simple operation, which consists merely in 
covering the sugar with very moist clay, the water 
from which percolates the mass, and carries with it the 
remaining molasses. When the earthy matter becomes 
dry, more is applied until the sugar is perfectly freed, 
and nearly white. After remaining in the drying- 
house about six weeks, the moulds are placed with the 
large end downwards, and the sugar- loaves leave them ; 
they are then oeaten down to powder in large strong 
cases, constructed of four entire planks, and the two 
ends, generally about eight feet long, and about twenty- 
six inches square,f holding from fifteen to sixteen 
hundred-weight. The cases, when filled, are nailed 
down, and are ready for shipping. 

The principal points to be attended to in making 
sugar are, first, that the canes be all ripe, and well 



* In skimming, lading-, and managing the syrup during the operation, 
the negroes display great dexterity. 

f Large trees are cut into planks of these dimensions for making the cases, 
which are preferred to hogsheads. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



'293 



cleaned from trash and leaves ; next, that they be im- 
mediately crushed, and not suffered to lie in heaps to 
heat ; and thirdly, that the rollers, and all the passages 
for the liquor, be well cleansed by washing as often as 
necessary. Respecting the temper, various opinions 
prevail ; every negro has his peculiar mode of mixing 
and applying it. Canes that grow on some lands re- 
quire more temper than those that grow on others, and a 
wet or a dry season will make considerable difference 
in the juice ; but these facts are here entirely unknown, 
or very little attended to. 

The middle parts of the sugar loaves being finer than 
the tops and bottoms, are by some houses kept separate, 
and sold at a better price. In almost every family they 
refine Muscovado sugar, when they wish to have some 
peculiarly white. The process is very simple, and is 
practised daily in the coffee-houses. 

More sugar is shipped from Bahia than from all thfc 
other ports of Brazil united, and in general it is supe- 
rior in quality ; that from certain plantations is decidedly 
so. It is not, however, esteemed of so strong a body 
as our best from the West Indies. 

The tobacco of this capitania is peculiar to it ; and, 
by an exclusive privilege, no other part of Brazil was 
allowed to cultivate the same sort. It has given rise to 
much commerce, and has enriched many families. It 
was the most esteemed sort, not only in Portugal, but 
in Spain, and all her colonies, where it has been sold at 
great prices. Great quantities of it were consumed in 
Barbary ; and on many parts of the coast of Guinea the 
demand for it was such that it was almost impossible to 
carry on trade for gold, ivory, gums, and oil without it. 
The mode of growing and manufacturing it is as 
follows: — First a good piece of ground is prepared, 
the finer dressed die better ; the seed is sown broad-cast, 
and when the plants are about six weeks or two months 
grown, they are transplanted into ground prepared as 
bt fore. In eight or ten months they arrive at their full 
growth, and when ripe the leaves are taken from the 
stem, which frequently grows from four to seven feet I 



294 



TRAVELS IN THE 



high. They are laid upon the ground, or, in pre- 
ference, upon any support which will preserve them 
from absorbing moisture, and admit a free circulation 
of air underneath. When they become in a slight de- 
gree withered, they are twisted with a strong winch, 
the end of one leaf uniting with the other, and the twist 
is coiled into a roll weighing from thirty to forty pounds. 
By this operation the juice of the leaf is expressed, 
which is viscid, and when oxidated becomes of a black 
colour, like molasses. The tobacco, after this last 
operation, is fit for commerce. 

It is an object highly worthy the attention of the Por- 
tugueze government, to introduce other modes of 
curing tobacco. There can be no doubt that the soil 
and climate are congenial to it, and, were it properly 
prepared, it would probably equal any in Virginia, and 
become as great an article of commerce among the nor- 
thern nations. Should such a measure be pursued, how 
many cargoes of this commodity alone would arrive in 
our ports, and from thence be distributed to the dif- 
ferent markets of Europe !* 

Cotton has of late been grown here in considerable 
quantities, and has been sent to England at nearly the 
same price with that grown in Pernumbuco, and its 
plantations are daily increasing. 

Coffee is grown in great quantities, but is not esteem- 
ed so fine as that from Rio de Janeiro. Rice is pro- 
duced in tolerable quantity, and its quality is superior ; 
but the husk is so difficult to separate from the grain, 
that a great part is bruised in the operation, and is thus 
rendered of little value. The only method of cleans- 
ing it that has hitherto been practised, is by wooden 
pestles worked in wooden mortars, either by hand or 
machinery. 

The beautiful dye-wood, called Brazil-wood, is 
shipped from this port and Pernambuco, of a quality 



* No government ought to encourage the culture of tobacco — all the ob- 
jections that lie against searching for diamonds gold and sdver also oppose 
themselves against tobacco — and one more arises that cannot be jusdy urged 
against the precious metals — tobacco is entirely useless if not pernicious. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



295 



much superior to that of Rio de Janeiro. This is one 
of the articles prohibited from general commerce, being 
the property of the royal household. Fustic in small 
quantities is brought from the interior. 

The indigo made here is so far inferior to that im- 
ported from India as scarcely to be worth mentioning^ 
It neither repays the planter for his trouble in growing 
and manufacturing it, nor the merchant who sells it 
There is a general opinion among all who make indigo, 
that some part of the process is very prejudicial to the 
health of the negroes, who frequently become sick, and 
often die while employed in it. This effect cannot be 
produced by the labour, which is very light and trivial, 
therefore it is more probably owing to the gas which 
escapes from the leaves in fermentation. 

The above are the principal articles of commerce 
produced in the district. Bahia has a considerable 
trade with St. Catherine's and other ports on the coast, 
from whence are exported various articles that may suit 
the market, which is continually fluctuating. A great 
number of fine brigs and small vessels are employed in 
this trade. 

Produce to a considerable amount was exported to 
the River Plata, from whence a great quantity of hides 
and taliow were returned ; but the trade has never been 
so favourable as it appeared, on account of the great 
difficulty attending the payments. It is considered 
that the Spaniards in the River Plata are much indebt- 
ed to the Portugueze. 

The imports to Bahia from Europe consist in general 
of the same articles with those specified in the descrip- 
tion of Rio de Janeiro. 

Respecting the mineralogy of this capitania, I can 
say but little. It is well known to have produced the 
largest piece of native copper that has ever appeared, 
being in weight upwards of 2,G00lbs. The piece was 
discovered several years ago by some persons who 
were preparing to wash for gold, but, contrary to the 
general laws of nature, it was found perfectly insulated, 
and not a vestige nor the slightest appearance of a vein 
oi that metal was to be traced. 



296 



TRAVELS IN THE 



To the north of Bahia are the capitanias of Pernam- 
buco, Seara, and Maranham, the interior of which is 
very little known, though some parts of the coast are 
tolerably populous. Pernambuco, though situated 
nearly in the latitude of eight degrees, is considered 
healthy. The town is built on a rising ground, much 
exposed, and constantly refreshed by the sea-breeze. 
It has many excellent edifices, and is supposed to con- 
tain more opulent merchants, in proportion to the popu- 
lation, than any other place in Brazil It produces 
vanilla, cocoa, and a considerable quantity of sugar; 
but the chief article of its trade is cotton, which for 
many years had the reputation of being superior to any 
other, but of late it has much deteriorated, from neg- 
lect, either in the growth, or in the gathering the pods 
and cleaning it from the seeds, or probably from 
general inattention to the whole management of it. In 
delicacy of colour and staple, it has been surpassed by 
the cotton called Sea Island Georgia, of which great 
importations have been made to this country, and for 
which great prices have been given. The cotton, when 
ready for packing, is pressed into raw hides, so hard as 
to form very heavy packages. The operation is su- 
perintended by an officer authorized by Government, 
w r ho puts a stamp upon it describing its quality, which 
enables the shipper to pass it through the custom-house, 
where it pays a small duty on exportation. This port 
has loaded many ships annually, and continues to export 
a considerable quantity, though at reduced prices, 
owing to the present distracted state of European 
commerce. 

The district of Seara is but little known, and enjoys 
very trifling trade. Maranham, though a very small 
district, has of late raised itself considerably into notice 
by its excellent productions, which are the same as 
those of Pernambuco. Cotton is the staple article^ 
with some sugar and rice, several cargoes of which are 
annually exported. 

The dye-wood of these districts, is considered ex- 
cellent, and is sometimes shipped from this coast. The 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



297 



tree which produces the annatto is very common, and 
the seeds from which it is washed are of the best quality, 
and might be obtained in great abundance. Cocoa may 
be grown in any quantity ; capsicum, pimento, ginger, 
&c. are very plentiful. 

The markets are well stored with fish and meat, the 
latter very indifferent in its kind. Poultry, vegetables, 
and fruits are in great abundance. 

Si. Louis, the capital, is built upon an island, and is 
esteemed healthy, though so near the equator. Several 
rivers run into the bay, which afford an eligible con- 
veyance for the produce of the vicinity. The island is 
said to contain 20,000 inhabitants, and the population 
in the rivers is by no means inconsiderable. 

The capitania of Para is considered the largest in 
Brazil ; its extent is imperfectly known. The princi- 
pal town is called Belem, where the governor resides, 
and, its government being superior, it may be said to 
preside over several of the neighbouring districts. The 
land is low and unhealthy. The great river or port, is 
much interrupted by shoals and currents. It is a dan- 
gerous coast, and exposed to a continual swell, so as to 
render it hazardous for ships to anchor upon it, as they 
roll so much that they not only endanger their masts, 
but are subject to strain. 

The town of Para is situated on the river Tocantins, 
the navigation of which is difficult, and is seldom 
attempted, except by small craft. The Confiance sloop 
of war with great care sailed up it, and anchored near 
the town, several days previous to the expedition against 
Cayenne. The town may contain ten thousand inha- 
bitants, who are in general very poor, probably from 
want of commerce ; for although the great rivers To- 
cantins and Amazons have their source, the latter in 
Peru, and the former in the capitania of Goiaz, — though 
they receive almost millions of inferior streams in their 
course through immense tracts of territory, yet they are 
not productive of any commerce of consequence. The 
few exports from Para consist of a little rice and cocoa, 
a few drugs, &c. to Maranham, from whence they are 



298 



TRAVELS IN THE 



embarked for Europe. A few small brigs were sent 
hither from Barbadoes, after the taking of Cayenne : 
but the trade must be. a bad one, as the inhabitants are 
in general too poor to purchase English manufactures, 
except those of necessity ; nor could the produce of Para 
be an object of interest, as a cargo is at all times very 
precarious, and difficult to be obtained. 

The climate is hot, as may well be supposed, from 
its lying so near the equinoctial. Thunder, with 
lightning and rain, occur generally every afternoon, 
which cool the air very much, and render the heat less 
disagreeable. 

On conversing with creditable men who had lived 
many years at Para, Maranham, and upon the coast, I 
never heard them relate the strange accounts of the 
Indians which Estalla has related. As a Spaniard, he 
seems to be amusing the public with the actions of his 
own countrymen in Chili, and to aim, in common with 
all the writers of his nation, to prejudice the world 
against the Portugueze. 

The capitania of Goyaz is bounded chiefly by Minas 
Geraes on the east, Matto Grosso on the west, and 
Para on the north. Its greatest extent in length is 
from lat. 0° south to 21°. Villa Boa, its principal 
town, is situated in lat. 16° south, about eighty leagues 
to the west of Paracatu, from whence there is a good 
road. Here is a permutation-house, where all the gold 
found in the capitania is permuted. The governor is 
elected for three years, after which he is generally ap- 
pointed to Bahia or Minas Geraes. In the capitania 
are many gold-mines, some of which produce gold of a 
very fine quality. Diamonds have been found in some 
parts, which are different in their appearance from those 
found in Cerro do Frio, having more brilliancy on their 
exterior ; but they are in general not of so pure a water, 
though of a very desirable size. As this fine district 
is so distant from the coast, it has very little commerce 
in any of its productions except the valuable sub- 
stances above-mentioned, and cattle, which are bred on 
the frontiers ; also some cotton, and occasionally a few 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



299 



peculiar articles, which are sent to Rio de Janeiro. The 
mules on the return-journey are all loaded with salt, 
iron, cheap cotton-prints, woollens (particularly baizes,) 
hats, fire-arms, powder and shot, and a variety of arti- 
ficers' tools. When any of the inhabitants have any 
thing peculiarly precious to dispose of, they generally 
take it to Rio de Janeiro, and lay out the proceeds 
chiefly in the purchase of negroes, (they being at all 
times the first object, ) iron, salt, and other commodities. 

The population is very small in comparison to the 
extent of the district, but is likely to be increased by 
new settlers; although the indigent in Villa Rica, 
Tejuco, and other places in the mining country, are 
little inclined to remove out of society, even for the 
chance of riches : in fact, having no negroes fit to work, 
and being totally destitute of exertion themselves, all 
situations are to them indifferent. These are by no 
means the class of people who can be styled adven- 
turers. The poorer class of inhabitants who have ob- 
tained a small portion of gold, sometimes make a jour- 
ney to Paracatu or Villa Rica to purchase what negroes 
they want. This capitania has been very little explored, 
and scarcely any thing is known of its productions 
beyond what is above stated, nor are any others sought 
after, though it cannot be doubted that there are many 
substances in all departments of natural history which 
might form the basis of a considerable commerce; 
indeed, it is not unreasonable to presume that the soil 
contains the same variety of metals as the district of 
Mihas Geraes. Many persons from thence, with 
whom I have conversed, speak of it with delight as 
being a fine country, having numerous rivers well stor- 
ed with fish, woods abounding with fine birds, which 
afford excellent diversion to the sportsman ; also a great 
variety of quadrupeds. 

This capitania communicates with Matto Grosso, 
St. Paul's, and Para, by rivers which are navigable^ 
though frequently interrupted by falls. 



3 00 



TRAVELS IN THE 



CHAP. XVIII. 



Geographical Description of the Capitania of Matt® 

Grosso. 

ESPECTING this extensive portion of Bra- 
zil, I had an opportunity of gaining considerable 
information, being intimately acquainted with the 
commanding officer of the military force stationed there, 
Colonel Martinez, an engineer of extraordinary merit, 
who had made four journeys to Matto Grosso, and had 
resided there some years. He was kind enough to 
give me a description of his route from St. Paul's to 
the capital of that province, and promised me a chart 
of the navigable rivers and roads from thence to Para, 
which had been formed by officers of his party, toge- 
ther with documents in illustration of it. But he being 
hastily called away on a particular service, was pre- 
vented from executing his promise, and I could only 
profit by the verbal description which he repeatedly gave 
me. This description, as proceeding from a person of 
such undoubted veracity, it was my intention to give to 
the public ; but, after my return to England, I was 
agreeably surprised to find a MS., nearly correspond- 
ing with it, in the hands of that eminent geographer, 
Mr. Arrowsmith, who has liberally permitted me to 
make use of it. To his excellent map, compiled ac- 
cording to the latest MS. charts communicated from 
Brazil, I beg leave to refer the reader for an accurate 
delineation of the particular localities here detailed. 

This extensive capitania is separated from the neigh- 
bouring territory belonging to Spain by the interven- 
ing channels of the rivers Paraguay, Madeira, Mamore, 
and Guapore, which from a broad and natural trench 
around it of five hundred leagues in circuit, by means 
of which, and by upwards of thirty rivers that empty 
themselves into it, a communication is opened through 




INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



301 



many and distant points with the interior of Brazil. 
This capitania, from its geographical position, has ever 
been considered as the grand outwork of Brazil, not 
only because it covers the interior divisions of this vast 
portion of the new continent, which is the cradle of its 
greatest rivers, branching in innumerable channels, and 
enriched with great and untouched treasures ; but also 
because, by this extensive channel, the Portugueze 
are enabled to penetrate to the establishments of Spain 
in Peru, 

The River Araguaya, or Grande* 

The eastern boundary of the capitania of Matto Gros- 
so, separating it from that of Goiaz, is the river Grande^ 
two hundred leagues from Villa Bella. This river, 
known in the state of Para by the name of Araguaya 
only, which is conferred on it by the numerous nations 
inhabiting its banks, has its remotest source in lat. 199, 
and running north and south, intersected at various 
points by the meridian of 52° 30', flows in lat. 6 9 into 
the Tocantines, wherein it loses its name ; and both, 
thus united in one ample stream, continue their course 
for three hundred and seventy leagues, and fall into the 
southern estuary of the mighty river Amazons in lat. 
1° 40' between the two celebrated bays of Marapata and 
Limseiro, opposite to the great island of Joannes, or 
Murajo, and twenty leagues west of the city of Para. 
The river Das Mortes, which rises far to the west of 
the Rio Grande, and forms its highest western branch, 
running for a considerable space to the east, and after- 
wards north, with an entire course of one hundred and 
fifty leagues, till it enters the Araguaya in lat. 12?, is 
entirely within the capitania of Matto Grosso. 

The river Araguaya is peopled by many tribes of 
warlike savages; it abounds in all the productions 
peculiar to the state of Para, and affords an uninterrupt- 
ed navigation from the city of that name, and by the 
river, with the centre of Brazil and the capitania of 
Matto Grosso. The same is practicable by the river 



302 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Das Mortes, and other western branches which enter 
the Rio Grande below. These branches, no doubt 5 
contain unexplored mines ; for there is no physical 
reason why gold should be found in the rivers that enter 
the Araguaya on the eastern side, (where, besides Villa 
Boa, are situated several villages belonging to the capi- 
tania of Goiaz,) and not likewise in the branches on the 
opposite side. It is positively known that the river 
Das Mortes is auriferous, and hence it is fair to con- 
elude that the smaller streams which flow into it are 
much more so, for the nearer the source the greater is 
the quantity of gold found. The mines of one of its 
western branches were abandoned, not from the absence 
or scarcity of the precious metal, but because, being 
remote from the road, and in the midst of a swamp 
peopled by savages, the few settlers could not get con- 
veniently supplied with arms, implements, and other 
articles. 

In some of these mines gold above twenty-three carats 
has been found, but the greater part is only of 17, and 
of a green colour, being combined with a large propor- 
tion of silver. 

The River Chingu, 

the clearest, and one of the largest and most copious? 
branches of the Amazon, which it enters on the south 
side, after a course of three hundred leagues, in lat. 1? 
42', and long. 539, seventy leagues west of the city of 
Para in a direct line, but one hundred of navigation, is 
confined in a great part of its course to the capitania of 
Matto Grosso. 

Its remote sources supply, not only the lands in 
which rise also the branches and rivers forming to the 
east and north the upper part of the river Cuiaba, but 
also that large space north of the river Das Mortes, in- 
tersected by the great road from Goiaz, extending as 
far as the river Porrudos. There is a tradition among 
the guides of the Sutaos* of Pira and the Indians esta- 



* Sutao. This is a place understood to be uninhabitable for Europeans, 
being the residence of uncivilized Indians, and covered with almost impe- 
netrable woods. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



303 



blished on the banks, of the Chingu, that, after 
mounting the first large fails of this river, much gold 
was found in it, of which the Jesuits, those great ex- 
plorers, obtained a large quantity. It is probable that 
the now unknown Minas dos Martirios, famous as the 
first discovery made by Bart°. Bueno, and of which 
I have heard repeated mention in St. Paul's, exist only 
on some of the many branches that form the river 
Chingu. For this enterprising man, after having dis- 
covered those mines, returning to St. Paul's in order 
to engage negroes and provide implements for extract- 
ing those abundant treasures, which to this day con- 
tinue to elude the searches of others, retraced his source ; 
but passing by the mines of Cuiaba, which had been 
just discovered and were found wonderfully productive, 
he was there deserted by the greatest part of his fol- 
lowers. Fearing that he should lose the rest also, he 
turned eastward, and, in his anxiety to avoid the mines 
of Cuiaba, got still farther from those of Dos Martirios, 
until he lost himself in the immense wastes, wherein 
he wandered many months, and at length accidentally 
found the mines of Goiaz, which his father had before 
seen. These, like all the rest, proved very productive 
at the beginning. 

This rich and new discovery soon diverted the atten- 
tion of adventurers from the preceding ; and the route 
to the Minas dos Martirios, together with their positive 
situation, have long been lost in a vague tradition of 
their existence. As the place was explored without 
the assistance of a compass, or any of the means ne- 
cessary for defining its geographical position, there 
could not but prevail much doubt and uncertainty res- 
pecting it. Now there is no such discovery on the 
river Tocantins, which comprehends the whole capi- 
tania of Goiaz : the first account places it near a river, 
which indeed runs into the Amazons, like the Tocan- 
tins, but which was sought for passing near the upper 
branches, and west of the river Cuiaba, a situation in 
which the river Chingu alone is found ; other explorers 
place it on the Araguay, which renders it useless to 



304 



TRAVELS IN THE 



look there, for it is more than two hundred leagues 
north-west of the place sought. This is substantiated 
by a fact of later diate, which is as follows : — A grand= 
son of Bart^. Bueno, under the direction of an ancient 
journal of this discovery, describing the route to it, 
descended by the river Das Mortes, and entered some 
extensive plains on its western bank, on which he tra* 
veiled westward for some days, when he arrived at a 
plain covered with white Mangaba trees, which were 
designated in the journal. From this place they had a 
sight of some detached high mountains between the 
north and west, three of which were of the figure speci- 
fied, and indicated the situation of the Minas dos Mar- 
tirios. An unexpected attack of the Indians, in which 
the chief and many others of the adventurers were 
killed, dispersed the party, and frustrated the object at 
the moment when it appeared to be already attained. 

The river abounds in various products : cocoa is in 
plenty ; there are some spices, and various indigenous 
fruits. 

The River Tapajos 

is the third which derives its copious sources, flowing 
through numerous large branches, from the capitania of 
Matto Grosso. It runs north between the Madeira 
and the Chingu for three hundred leagues, flowing into 
the Amazons in lat. 2° 24' 50", and long. 55 Q , which 
is the geographical position of the town of Santarem, 
situated at its mouth one hundred and eighteen leagues 
from the city of Para, and one hundred and sixty-two 
by the shortest navigation. The river Tapajos rises in 
the plains of the Parexis, so called from an Indian 
nation which inhabits them. These plains occupy a 
vast space, not level, but formed by undulating heaps 
of sand and light earth, resembling large waves. The 
spectator who is in the midst of them ever sees before 
him a distant and extended mount ; he advances towards 
it by a gentle and long declivity, traverses the plain, 
and advances by an ascent equally gentle until he gains 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



305 



imperceptibly the heights he saw ; another eminence 
then presents itself, and he proceeds with the same re- 
curring circumstances. The soil of these wide ^plains 
is sandy, and so light that loaded beasts in passing sink 
into it so much as to impede their progress. The pas- 
turage is poor, consisting of grass composed of wiry 
stalks a foot high, and small rough lancet shaped-leaves ; 
the animals in grazing pluck them up with the roots 
covered with sand ; on this account the passage by land 
is difficult and tedious ; though, on finding any of the 
streams, which abound in these plains, there is grass 
and other mild herbage, which afford tolerable pastur- 
age. The plains of Parexis form, to a large extent and 
breadth, the summit of those high mountains of the 
same name, and are situated on some of the most ele- 
vated land in all Brazil ; for from them descend the 
two greatest rivers of South America,— the Paraguay, 
as well in its own numerous heads, as in its great and 
higher branches, the Jauru, the Sypotuba, and the Cuia- 
ba, — and the Madeira, which is the largest river that 
flows into the Amazons on the south. 

The Tapajos, flowing in a direction contrary to that 
of the above-named river, rises on these mountains.— 
Its westermost branch is the river Arinos, which in- 
twines its sources with those of the Cuiaba at a short 
distance from those of the Paraguay. The river Arinos 
has a western branch, called Rio Negro, from which, to 
the point where it is navigable, there is a passage of 
eight leagues over-land to the river Cuiaba, below its 
upper and greatest falls ; and, in like manner, from the 
Arinos itself the passage to the same part of the river 
Cuiaba is twelve leagues. 

The Arinos is auriferous at its springs, and in 1747 
the mines of Santa Isabel were discovered in it, but 
immediately abandoned, as not answering the expecta- 
tions created in those fortunate times by the great quan- 
tities of gold drawn from the mines of Cuiaba and 
Matto Grosso. The lands were infested by dangerous 
tribes of war-like Indians. 

The river Sumidouro empties itself on the south 

Q q. 



306 



TRAVELS J-N THE 



side into the Arinos, and its source being a short dis- 
tance from that of the Sypotuba, a large western branch 
of the Paraguay, there is an easy communication from 
one river to the other. The famous discoverer, Joao 
de Souza Echevedo, in 1746 made this passage. He 
descended the river Cuiaba, and sailing up the Sypotu- 
ba to its very sources, he there passed his canoes over 
land into the Sumidouro, which he navigated, follow- 
ing the current, notwithstanding that the river runs for 
some distance under ground, and thence derives its ap- 
pellation. After this, he passed into the Arinos, and 
thence into the Tapajos, where he surmounted the falls, 
though more difficult than those of the Madeira, and dis- 
covered many symptoms of gold in the river of Tres 
Barras, a western arm of the Tapajos, a hundred leagues 
below the springs of the Arinos. West of the Sumi- 
douro, and in the plains of Parexis, the river Xacuruti- 
na has its origin to the north of the river Jauru : it 
is famous for a lake, situated in one of its branches, 
where every year is produced a great quantity of salt, 
which is a constant cause of war among the Indians. 
Some navigators make the Xacurutina an arm of the 
Arinos, and others of the Sumidouro. In these plains 
of Parexis, terminating to the west in the high moun- 
tains so denominated, which, extending two hundred 
leagues in a north- north- west direction, front the Guapore 
at a distance of fifteen or twenty leagues, springs the riv- 
er Juruena, between the heads of the Sarare and the 
Guapore, a league east of the former and two west of the 
latter. This river, the largest and westermost branch 
of the Tapajos, rises in lat. 14° 42', twenty leagues 
north-north-east of Villa Bella, and running north one 
hundred and twenty leagues, flows into the Arinos, and 
with it forms the bed of the Tapajos. 

The Juruena receives on both sides many small ri- 
vers, those from the west affording many practicable 
communications by short passages over land with the 
Guapore aud its confluent streams. The uppermost of 
these, which is nearest to Villa Bella, is the Securiu, 
navigable even there, and almost to its source. This is 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



307 



a league north of the principal source of the river 
Sarare, which, a quarter of a league from its head, is 
three yards deep and five broad. Thus sailing up the 
Juruena into the Securiu, and making from its source 
the short land-passage of a league to the Sarare, the 
navigator may reach Villa Bella in less than eight days, 
without any other obstacle than that of the fall formed 
by the Sarare, three leagues below its source, where it 
precipitates itself from the Parexis mountains on the 
western slope : this difficulty may be surmounted in 
detail, or by at once passing the four leagues, for the 
Sarare from its fall becomes immediately navigable to 
the capital Matto Grosso. A league north of the source 
of the Sarare is the first head of the river Galera, the 
second confluent of the Guapore below Villa Bella ; 
and a league east of the same head rises the Ema, a 
western branch of the Securiu, affording equal facility 
of communication. The Galera has three other sour- 
ces north of the first in the plains of the Parexis, all 
ample streams ; the last and most northerly, called Sa- 
hara, is distant little more than a league from the source 
of the river Juina, a large western branch of the Juruena. 
Thus, by the Juina and the Securiu, with a crossing of 
five or six leagues, so as to pass the falls of the Galera 
on the western scarp of the mountain, the Juruena may 
be connected with the Guapore. 

Lastly, the Juruena may be navigated to its upper 
fall, which is within two leagues of its own source,— 
The fall is formed by two small leaps, the river being, 
even in this part, thirty yards broad and of great depth ; 
from hence downwards it flows with great rapidity, yet 
its falls are not greater, and are more passable, than 
those of the Arinos. With the same circumstances, 
and by similar short land passages, a communication is 
practicable from the Juruena with the rivers Guapore 
and Jauru, which are to the eastward of it, although 
these two rivers precipitate themselves from the south 
side of the Parexis mountains, where they rise, and 
Immediately form numerous and extensive falls. 

From the geographical position of the Tapajos, it is 



SOS 



TRAVELS IN THE 



evident that this river facilitates navigation and com- 
merce from the maritime city of Para to the mines of 
Matto Grosso and Cuiaba, by means of its large bran- 
ches, the Juruena and Arinos; if the short passages 
over land should be found troublesome to drag canoes, 
the goods may be forwarded immediately on mules. 
This navigation to Matto Grosso is at least two hundred 
leagues shorter than that performed through the Madeira 
and Guapore ; it is consequently less tedious and ex- 
pensive, and equally advantageous to the mines of 
Cuiaba. The navigation of the river Tapajos might 
lead also to new discoveries in the vast unexplored 
parts of this river, up to its entrance into the plains of 
the Parexis, and their products might add to those of 
the extensive regions on the Amazonsv Besides this, 
the river is known to be auriferous for a great part of its 
course : it is known also, that, passing from the Juruena 
into its western arm, the river Camarare, and the heads 
of the river Jamary or Das Candeas, which, running in 
broad streams down the eastern side of the Parexis 
mountains, enters the Madeira, there are mines which 
have inspired great hopes, though but lately seen, after 
a fruitless search of twenty years. 

The River Paraguay 

has its remote springs to the west of the heads of the 
Arinos in latitude 13°, and, after a southern course of 
six hundred leagues, enters the ocean under the appel- 
lation of the Rio de la Plata. The heads of the Para- 
guay are seventy leagues north-east from Villa Bella, 
and forty leagues north from Cuiaba, and divided into 
many branches, and already forming complete rivers, 
which, as they run south, successively unite, and form 
the channel of this immense river, which is immediately 
navigable. To the west, a short distance from the 
main source of the Paraguay, is that of the Sypotuba, 
which disembogues on its west bank in lat. 15° 50', 
after a course of sixty leagues. In the upper part of 
this river, and near its western branch, called the Juru- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



309 



bauba, was formerly a gold-mine, which was worked 
with considerable profit ; but the superior advantages 
derived from others subsequently explored in Matto 
Grosso and Cuiaba, caused it to be abandoned, and its 
site is not now known with certainty. The little river 
Cabaral, also auriferous, enters the Paraguay on the 
west side, three leagues below the mouth of the Sypo- 
tuba. On the banks of the latter lives a nation of In- 
dians, called Barbados, from the distinction peculiar to 
themselves, among all the Indian nations, of having 
large beards. 

The Boriras Araviras inhabit the banks of the Caba- 
ral : they are a mixture of two different nations, who 
in the year 1797 sent four chiefs of their tribe, accom- 
panied by their mother, to Villa Bella, in order to so- 
licit the friendship of the Portugueze. The nation 
called Pararione lives in their neighbourhood, close by 
the Sypotuba. A league below the mouth of the Caba- 
ral, on the east bank of the Paraguay, is Villa Maria, a 
small and useful establishment, founded in 1778. Seven 
leagues south of Villa Maria, and on the west bank of 
the Paraguay, the river Jauru disembogues into it in 
lat. 16? 24.' This river is remarkable for the boun- 
dary-mark erected at its mouth in 1754, as well as for 
being entirely Portugueze, together with the lands on 
its south bank, and bordering on the Spanish posses- 
sions. It rises in the plains of the Parexis in lat. 14 Q 
42', and long. 58? 30', and running south to lat. 15° 
45', the situation of the Register of the same name, it 
there turns to the south east for thirty -four leagues, till, 
by an entire course of sixty leagues, it reaches its junc- 
tion with the Paraguay. There are salt- water-pits, 
which in part have supplied Matto Grosso ever since 
its foundation with salt : they are in the interior of the 
country, seven leagues from the Register, and extend 
to a place called Salina de Almeida, from the name of 
the person who first employed himself in these works, 

These salt-pits are situated along the margins of 
broad marshy bottoms, in which are found fish of the 
same kind with those in the Paraguay. The Salina de 



310 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Almeida is not far distant from the bank of Jauru, and 
the great quantity of saline liquid found in it continues 
'three leagues further to the south, where a junction is 
formed with another from the west, called Pitas, west- 
ward of which are high and dry plains, where are found 
numerous large circles, formed by a species of palm 
called Carandas. These plains terminate nine leagues 
west of the Salina de Almeida, in a large pool or marsh, 
called Paopique, which runs to the south. 

The confluence of the Jauru with the Paraguay is a 
point of much importance : it guards and covers the 
great road between Villa Bella Cuiaba, and their inter- 
mediate establishments, and in the same manner com- 
mands the navigation of both the rivers, and defends 
the entrance into the interior of the latter capitania. The 
Paraguay from this place has a free navigation upwards, 
almost to its sources, which are scarcely seventy leagues 
distant, with no other impediment than a large fall, 
These sources are said to contain diamonds. 

The mark placed at the mouth of the Jauru is a py= 
ramid of beautiful marble, brought to this distant point 
from Lisbon. It bears inscriptions commemorative of 
the treaty between the courts of Spain and Portugal, by 
which the respective territories, of which it stands as 
the boundary, were defined. 

The lofty chain of mountains, which extends from 
the sources of the Paraguay near its eastern bank, 
border the river opposite the mouth of the Jauru, and 
are terminated seven leagues below it by the Morro 
Excalvado in lat. 16° 43'. Eastward of this mount or 
point all is marsh, and nine leagues below it there flows 
into the east side of the Paraguay a deep stream or 
river, called Rio Novo, discovered in 1786, which may 
hereafter afford a navigation to near St. Pedro del Rey, 
when the aquatic plants that obstruct its channel are 
removed. The most distant sources of this river are 
the rivulets of Sta. Anna, Bento Gomez, and others 
which cross the great road of Cuiaba to the west of 
Cocaes. In lat. 17° 33' the west banks of the Paraguay 
become mountainous at the north point of the Serra da 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



311 



Insua, which, three leagues to the south, makes a deep 
break to form the mouth of the lake Gaiba. This lake 
extends westward, and there is a broad canal of four 
leagues in extent, which comes from the north, com- 
municating from the above lake to that of Uberava, 
somewhat larger than the Gaiba, situated exactly con- 
tiguous to the Serra da Insua, on its north side. Six 
leagues and a half below the mouth of the Gaiba, and 
opposite this mountainous bank of the Paraguay, is 
the mouth of the St. Lourenco, formerly called Porru- 
dos. Twenty-six leagues above this the river Cuiaba 
enters its western bank in lat. 17 Q 20', and long. 57° 
5' : these two rivers are of great extent ; that of Lou- 
renco has its sources in lat. 15°, forty leagues east of 
the town of Cuiaba, receiving (besides the branches 
crossed by the road from Goiaz) other great streams on 
its east side, such as the Paraiba or Piquiri, which re- 
ceives the Jaquari and the Itiquira, all of moderate 
size, and navigable. The Itiquira has been navigated 
to its heads, from whence the canoes were dragged over 
land to the Sucuriu, which falls into the Parana four 
leagues below the mouth of the river Tiete on the op- 
posite side. The rivers Itiquira and Sucuriu were 
found to have fewer and smaller falls than the Taquari, 
and the land passage is much shorter and more conve- 
nient than that of the Camapuao, so that this navigation 
is preferable to that by the two last mentioned rivers : 
it is attended by only two obstacles, — many Indians, 
and a want of provisions. 

The navigation to the town of Cuiaba by the river 
of that name, from its above-mentioned confluence, is 
short and easy : in the first ten leagues, after passing 
the ' o small islands of Ariacuni and Tarumus, occurs 
a 1 i plantation of bananas, formed on an embank- 
ment on the east side of the river. Three leagues above 
this place the Gm °ho-uassu enters the Cuiaba by its 
east bank, and on tae same side, seven leagues farther, 
the Guacho-mirim. From this point the river winds 
in a north-north-east direction, eleven leagues to the 
island of Pirahim, and from thence makes a large bend 



312 



TRAVELS IN THE 



to the east, receiving numerous streams, and passes the 
town of Cuiaba, which is situated a mile to the east- 
ward of it. This town is ninety-six leagues to the 
east of Villa Bella, and the same distance from the con- 
fluence of its river with the Paraguay. It is large, and, 
together with its dependencies, may at present contain 
30,000 souls. It is well provided with meat, fish, fruits, 
and all sorts of vegetables, at a much cheaper rate than 
at the sea ports. The country is well adapted for culti- 
vation, and has rich mines, but in some places little 
water to work them in dry weather. They were dis- 
covered in 1718, and have been estimated to produce 
annually above twenty arrobas of gold of extremely 
fine quality. 

Twenty leagues south-west of the town of Cuiaba is 
the settlement of St. Pedro del Rey, the largest of all 
the adjacent settlements, and contains full 2,000 inhabit- 
ants. It is situated near the western side of the rivulet 
Bento Gomez, which, at the distance of a league and 
a half south of the settlement, forms a large bay, called 
Rio de Janeiro. The river Cuiaba has its sources forty 
leagues above the town, and its banks are cultivated 
through the greater part of its extent, including four- 
teen leagues below the town, down the stream. Four 
leagues below the principal mouth of the river Porru- 
dos, the Paraguay is bordered by the mountains that 
separate it from Gaiba on its western bank, and in this 
place they obtain the appellation of Serra das Pedras 
de Amoiar, from being composed of a stone of which 
whet-stones are made. This is the only spot which is 
not inundated by the floods of the river, and is there- 
fore much visited by the canoes that navigate it. These 
Serras terminate two leagues to the south in those of 
the Dourados, immediately below which there is a 
channel on the west side of the Paraguay, which, pierc- 
ing between two high detached mounts, called Cheines, 
leads to the lake Mendiuri, six leagues long, and the 
largest on the Paraguay. 

From the Dourados the Paraguay runs southward to 
the Serras of Albuquerque, where it touches directly 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



313 



on the northern point, on which is situated a town of 
that name. These Serras form a compact square of ten 
leagues, and contain much calcareous stone ; the land 
is considered the best on either side the Paraguay, from 
the river downwards, and only equalled by that on the 
western margins of the lakes Mandiuri and Gaiba. 
From Albuquerque the Paraguay turns to the east, 
skirting its Serras, which terminate at the end of* six 
leagues in the Serra do Rabicho, opposite which, on the 
north bank of the river, is situated the lower southern 
mouth of the Paraguay-mirim. This is an arm of the 
Paraguay, which, terminating here, forms an island 
fourteen leagues in length from north to south : it is the 
usual channel for canoes in times of inundation. From 
the mouth of the Paraguay-mirim the river takes a 
southerly direction to the mouth of the Taquari, navi- 
gated annually by flotillas of canoes and other craft, 
which come from St. Paul's to Cuiaba, and even as far 
as the Register of Jauru, when their destination happens 
to be Villa Bella. 

As this navigation is an object of great importance, 
from its connecting two distinct districts, the following 
compendious description of the route pursued in it may 
not prove uninteresting. It is abstracted from the diary 
of a man of science, who performed the journey a few 
years ago, in the month of October, when the Paraguay 
begins to retire to its own channel. The description 
may commence at the Taquari, as the voyage from 
thence to Cuiaba and the Jauru has already been detailed. 
The largest of the many mouths of the Taquari in the 
Paraguay is in lat. 19° 15', and long. 54°. In the first 
ten leagues of navigation, the channel of the river is lost, 
as it crosses some large plains, covered with water to 
the depth of several feet. This is contiguous to Taquari, 
a place where the river is much confined. 

From this place it is twenty leagues to the resting- 
place of Allegre, in lat. 18° 12', and this space contains, 
on both banks of the Taquari, many entrances into the 
paths, which lead in time of the floods to various distant 
places on the Paraguay, Porrudos, and Cuiaba, From 

R R 



314 



TRAVELS IN THE 



this resting-place there are thirty leagues of navigation, 
on the course of the river east to the fall of Barra, where 
it is impeded and unnavigable above a mile, though a 
part of it may be passed in half- loaded and part in empty 
canoes. At the head of this fall the river Cochim enters 
the Taquari, and the navigation here quits the latter for 
the Cochim. At its mouth it is twenty fathoms broad, 
and a league upwards receives on its south bank the 
Taquari- mirirn, a river nearly as broad as itself. A 
little above this confluence is situated its first fall, which 
is called Da Iiha y and may be passed in empty canoes. 
A league above is the fall of Giquitaya, passed with half 
cargoes, and a league and a quarter farther, that of the 
Choradeira, the current of which is very rapid. Beyond 
this is the fall of Avanhandava-uassu, where the cargoes 
are carried over-land for half a mile, and the canoes are 
conducted through a difficult channel of three fathoms, 
at the end of which they are pushed over the rocks in 
order to pass the head or cataract. Half a league above 
is the fall Do Jauru, so called from a river of that name, 
which enters the Cochim above it, on the north side. 
From this confluence upwards there occur seven falls in 
the course of five leagues and a half, in the midst of 
which distance the river cuts and is enchannelled in a 
mountain, through which it runs smoothly, although 
scarcely five fathoms broad, and receives on its south 
side the stream of the Paredao, which is said to be auri- 
ferous. Half a league above the last of the seven falls 
before-mentioned are three successive ones, called Tres 
Irmaos, and at an equal distance above them, that of 
Das Furnas, which is passed laboriously with canoes 
unloaded. From this place the navigation continues on 
the Cochim through a succession of falls, until that 
river is joined by the Camapuao, eight yards in breadth 
at its mouth. From this point to its junction with the 
Taquari, the course of the Cochim is thirty leagues. 

The river Camapuao, along which the navigation is 
continued, becomes narrower on passing some rivulets 
that flow into it, and so shallow, as to be in general 
scarcely two feet deep, and the canoes are rather dragged 



INTER [OR OF BRAZILS. 



315 



than navigated along its sandy bed. After two leagues 
of this labour, *they quit the Camapuao-uassu, leaving 
it on the right hand, choked with fallen trees, &c, and 
enter into the Camapuao-mirim, up which they proceed 
one league, when they reach the fazenda, or estate 
of the same name. This is an important establish- 
ment, belonging to the Portugueze, in the centre 
of those vast and desert regions that intervene be- 
tween the great rivers Paraguay and Parana, ninety 
leagues south-south- west, in a direct line from the town 
of Cuiaba. The place seems very proper for a register, 
to prevent the smuggling of gold in this route, and to 
fix the duties on goods passing to Cuiaba and Matto 
Grosso. The canoes and cargoes are transported from 
the Fazenda de Camapuao by land about a mile to the 
river Sanguixuga, the principal source of the Rio Pardo. 
From the end of the land-passages the navigation con- 
tinues down the Sanguixuga, and, in the interval of 
three leagues, they pass four falls to the Rio Vermelbo 
(so called from the colour of its waters,) which enters 
the Pardo. Half a league from the mouth of the Ver- 
melho the Pardo has the fail of the Pedras de Amolar, 
and a league below receives on its south side the river 
Ciaro, from which, after proceeding two leagues of level 
stream, there occur nine falls in the space of two leagues 
more. The passage of them occupies twelve or four- 
teen days in going up the river, though only one return- 
ing. Below the last of these, called the Bangue, the 
river Sucuriu enters the Pardo on its south side. Three 
leagues below the mouth of the Sucuriu is the cataract 
of Curare, about eight yards high, to avoid which the 
canoes are hauled over-land, through a passage of a 
hundred yards. From this cataract, in the space of ten 
leagues, there occur ten falls, which occupy fifteen or 
twenty days, in ascending the river, though only one in 
descending. The breadth of the Rio Pardo in this part 
is twenty-two fathoms. Two leagues' below the last of 
these falls is a deep inlet of three hundred and ninety 
fathoms ; half a league lower the canoes are hauled over 
a space of land of a hundred and fifty yards. Half a 



316 



TRAVELS IN THE 



league further is the fall of Sirga Negra ; one league 
further, that of Sirga Matto ; and a little more than a 
league from thence, the great cataract, or Salto daCajuru, 
ten yards in height, to avoid which, the canoes are 
hauled through a narrow channel here formed by the 
river. At a distance equal to the preceding is the Cajuru- 
mirim, and immediately after is found the fall of Da 
Ilha, the thirty -third and last on this river. Six leagues 
below this fall, the Rio Pardo receives on its north side 
the river Orelha da Anta ;* and four leagues lower down, 
on the same side, the Orelha da Onca,* from the mouth 
of which, after eleven leagues of navigation, is found 
the junction which the river Anhandery-uassu makes 
from the south with the Pardo, which, from the passage 
of Camapuao to this point, completes a south-east course 
of forty -five leagues in extent. The Anhandery and 
the Pardo, from their confluence, run sixteen leagues of 
navigation westward, in one channel, and disembogue 
in the west bank of the Parana in lat. about 21°. The 
velocity of the current of the Rio Pardo is very irregu- 
lar. It may be navigated downward in five or six days, 
but cannot be ascended in less than twenty or thirty, 
and that by hauling, for the force of the stream in some 
places is too great for oars. 

The river Parana is of great breadth and weight of 
water, and is navigated against its current up to the 
mouth of the Tiete. In the first three leagues occurs 
the island of Manuel Homem. Five leagues above this 
island the Rio Verde falls into the Parana, by a mouth 
of forty -two fathoms, on its western bank, and at an 
equal distance above, on the opposite eastern side, the 
river Aguapehy enters, by a mouth apparently above 
twenty yards wide. Eight leagues above this river, and 
on the west side of the Parana, the large river Sucuriu 
has its mouth, at least fifty fathoms wide, and, after four 
leagues of navigation further, on the same side of the 
Parana, is found the mouth of the large and interesting 



* So called, because they abound with those animals. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



317 



river, the Tiete.* The distance between the rivers Tiete 
and Pardo, according to the windings of the Parana, 
may be estimated at thirty-five leagues ; the direction 
north, inclining to the east. Passing up the Tiete, in 
the first three leagues is found the great Salto de Itapura 
(a great cascade,) to avoid which, the canoes are drag- 
ged sixty fathoms over-land. A league above is the 
difficult fall of Itapura-mirim ; another league upwards 
are the three falls, called Tres Irmaos, and little more 
than that distance onward, that of Itupiru, half a league 
long. Two leagues further is the fall of U-aicurituba- 
mirim, and in the upper part of it the small river Sucury 
enters the Tiete upon its north bank. One league 
above it is the fall of Utupiba, a quarter of a league in 
length. The same distance above is the fall of Arara- 
cangua-uassu, which is passed with unloaded canoes. 
Five leagues above this is found the Araracangua-mi- 
rim ; one league further, the Arassatuba, and at the 
same distance, the U-aicurituba, from which, in the 
space of nine leagues, occur seven falls. Three and a 
half leagues above the last of them is that of the Esca- 
ramunca, so called from the abrupt windings of the river 
among a thousand rocks and stoppages. Two leagues 
above this is the large fall of Avanhandava, where the 
canoes are unloaded, and their cargoes carried half a 
mile over-land, f and the canoes hauled the greatest 
part of the way, to avoid a cataract sixteen yards per- 
pendicular. A league and a half above this is the fall 
of Avanhandava-mirim, and very near it, that of the 



* This river being the grand channel of communication from Rio de Ja- 
neiro, Santos, St. Paul's, and other places, to the interesting- districts of 
Cuiaba, Matto Grosso, the whole of Paraguay, the river Plata, Potosi, 
Chiquisaca, and a great part of Peru, I have preserved the particular de- 
tail given in this paper, of its numerous falls, and the difficulties of its 
navigation, as it is now well known, and there is great reason to suppose, 
that it will soon be much more frequented. 

j The labour of dragging the canoes over-land to avoid the cataracts 
might be much lessened (where the finest timber is in such abundance,) if 
■Government were to order rail-ways to be made, upon which loaded canoes 
might easily be drawn on wheels. This would more facilitate the inter- 
course than any other measure, and, from the present enterprising spirit 
and wisdom of the Prince Regent's ministers, we may soon hope to see it 
put in practice. 



318 



TRAVELS IN THE 



Campo, from which there are fourteen leagues of clear 
navigation to those of the Camboyu-voca, and next to 
the Tambau-mirim and Uassu, both within the com- 
pass of two leagues. One league further is the fall of 
Tambitiririca ; three leagues from thence, the U-ami- 
canga, and a little more than two leagues upwards, the 
Jacuripipira enters the Tiete on the north side, and 
has a mouth fifteen fathoms broad. A league and a 
half above this is the Jacuripipira-mirim, six leagues 
from whence is the fall of Congouha, a league in length. 
For the space of eight leagues from this there are six 
falls, of which the last is Banharem. From this it is 
three leagues and a half to the mouth of the Paraniaba, 
thirty eight fathoms broad : it enters the Tiete on the 
north ; and the latter river from this point immediately 
narrows itself to forty fatnoms wide. From the mouth 
of the Paraniaba there is a navigation of four leagues 
to the small fall of Ilha, and fourteen leagues more, with 
frequent windings to that of Itahy, near a populous 
village, called Jundahy. Six leagues from this is the 
fail of Pedrenegoa, which is a quarter of a league long ; 
and half a league above it, the river Sorecaba, which 
comes from the town of the same name, in lat. 23° 31', 
empties itself on the south into the Tiete. Near this 
town are several mountains, called Guaraceaba, some of 
which abound with rich oxide of iron, which, on smelt- 
ing, has proved very good. Upon them grows fine 
timber for machinery, and wood of every size, fit for 
reducing into carbon. Numerous streams flow from 
them, which may be employed to great advantage, and 
their base is washed bv the river v_*a mpanhes, near the 
Capivara, both of which empty themselves into the 
Tiete at a short distance. From the river Sorecaba it 
is only six leagues to Porto Felix, where all the embar- 
kation is now made to Matto Grosso from St. Paul's, 
the distance being about twenty -three leagues from that 
city. Through this conveyance, salt, iron, ammunition, 
clothing for the troops, &cc. are sent annually by Go- 
vernment. Trading parties frequently arrive at St. 
Paul's from Cuiaba in the month of February, and re- 
turn in x\pril or May, 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



319 



Resuming our account of the Paraguay, it is to be 
observed that the Embotetieu enters that river five 
leagues below the mouth of the Taquari, and on the 
same side. It is now called Mondego, and was former- 
ly navigated by the traders from St. Paul's, who entered 
by the Anhandery-uassu, the south branch of the Pardo. 
On the north bank of the Mondego, twenty leagues 
above its mouth, the Spaniards founded the city of Xerez ? 
which the Paulistas destroyed. Ten leagues above this 
place, in the mountains that form the upper part of the 
Embotetieu, there is a tradition that there are rich mines 
which were discovered fifty years ago. One league be- 
low the mouth of the Mondego there are two high in- 
sulated mounts fronting each other on the Paraguay : 
at the extremity of the southern declivity of the mount 
on the west side, near the bank of the river, is the garri- 
son of New Coimbra, founded in 1775 ; it is the last 
and southermost Portugueze establishment on the great 
Paraguay. Eleven leagues to the south of Coimbra, on 
the wes* side of the Paraguay, is the mouth of Bahia 
Negra, a large sheet of water of six leagues in extent, 
being five leagues long from north to south : it receives 
the waters of the wide-flooded plains and lands to the 
? south and west of the mountains of Albuquerque. At 
this bay the Portugueze possessions on both banks of 
the Paraguay terminate. From thence the river con- 
tinues to lat. 21°, where, on its west bank, is situated a 
hill known to the Portugueze by the name of Miguel 
Jose, crowned with a Spanish fort with four pieces of 
artillery, called Bourbon. Three leagues above this the 
little river Guirino falls into the Paraguay on the east 
side. Nine leagues to the south of the above fort, and 
in lat. 21° 22', are other mountains on both sides the 
Paraguay, which command this river ; for the eastern 
side is surmounted with a lofty chain extending to the 
interior of the country, near which is the sugar-loaf 
mount ; the opposite side is equally mountainous, but 
not so high or extensive ; and in the middle of the river 
there is a high rocky island, which, with the mountainous 
banks on each side, forms two channels of about a 
musket- shot across. This, m case of war between the 



320 



TRAVELS IN THE 



neighbouring nations, would be a post of the highest 
importance, as it forms a natural barrier, which would 
require little fortification to render it an effectual obsta- 
cle to invasion. Here terminate those extensive inun- 
dations, to which both banks of the Paraguay are sub- 
ject : they commence at the mouth of the Jauru, and 
to this point cover an extent of 100 leagues from north 
to south, and forty in breadth, at their highest floods, 
forming an apparent lake, which geographers of former 
days, as well as some moderns, have termed the Xara- 
yes. This inundation confounds the channel of the 
great Paraguay with those of its various confluents, in 
such a manner that, from twenty to thirty leagues above 
their regular mouths, it is possible, in time of the floods, 
to navigate across from one to the other, always in deep 
water, without ever seeing or approaching the banks of 
the Paraguay. During this wonderful inundation, the 
high mountains and elevated land which it incloses ap- 
pear like so many superb islands, and the lower grounds 
form a labyrinth of lakes, bays, and pools, nfany of 
which remain after the floods have subsided. From 
the intricacy of these inundated plains, the navigation 
is rendered impracticable to all who do not unite expe- 
rience with skill. From this position, (the only barrier 
on the Paraguay,) the banks downward are in general high 
and firm, particularly the eastern or Portugueze side. 
In lat. 22° 5', a considerable river empties itself into it, 
which the Spaniards, at the demarcation in 1753, would 
have to be the Corrientes, whereas the heads of this 
river are twenty leagues north of the real Corrientes 
mentioned in the treaty. 

Between the Paraguay and the Parana there runs 
from north to south an extensive chain of mountains, 
which have the appellation of Amanbay ; they termi- 
nate to the south of the river Xguatimy, forming a ridge 
running east and west, called Maracayer. From these 
mountains spring all the rivers which, from the Taquari 
southward, enter the Paraguay, and from the same chain, 
also, proceed many other rivers, which, taking a contrary- 
direction, flow into the Parana, one of them, and the 
most southerly, being the Igoatimy, which has its mouth 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



321 



m lat. 23° 47', a little above the seven falls, or the wonder- 
ful cataract of the Parana. This cataract is a most 
sublime spectacle, being distinguished to the eye of the 
spectator from below by the appearance of six rainbows, 
and emitting from its fall a constant cloud of vapours, 
which impregnates the air to a great distance. On the 
north side of the Igoatimy, twenty leagues from its 
mouth, the Portugueze had formerly the fortress of 
Bauris, which was abandoned in 1777. The Igoatimy 
has its sources ten leagues above this place, among high 
and rugged mountains. The river Xexuy enters the 
Paraguay on the east side in lat. 24° 1 1', twenty leagues 
below the Ipane, another small river, called the Ipane- 
mirim, intervening. 

This is a summary description of Portugueze Para- 
guay, to the point where the territory ought (as our 
Tourist observes) to extend ; and such is the situation 
of this great river, that the above-mentioned rivers 
which concentrate toward the interior of Brazil enter it 
on the eastern side ; not one enters it on the western, 
from the Jauru to the parallel of the Ipane. Many 
parts of the banks of all those rivers are laid under 
water at the time of the floods, and the plains are co- 
vered to a considerable depth. 

A river of such vast size as the Paraguay, in a 
temperate and salubrious climate, abounding with fish, 
bordered by extensive plains and high mountains, in- 
tersected by so many rivers, bays, lakes, and forests, 
must naturally have drawn many of the Indian nations 
to inhabit its banks: but, immediately after the dis- 
covery of the new continent, the incursions of the 
Paulistas and Spaniards seem to have dispersed and 
destroyed the numerous tribes. The Jesuits trans- 
planted many thousands to their settlements on the 
Uraguay and Parana. Other nations fled from the ava- 
rice of the new settlers to countries less favoured, but 
more secure by reason of their distance, and the diffi- 
culty of approach. This emigration of one nation to 

S s 



322 



TRAVELS IN THE 



districts occupied by another, became the fruitful 
source of inveterate and sanguinary wars among them, 
whioh tended to reduce their numbers. There are, 
however, still some Indians left on the borders of the 
Paraguay, among whom the Guaycurus, or Cavalier 
Indians, are principally distinguished for valour. They 
occupy the lands from the river Taquari, extending 
southwards, along all the rivers that enter the Paraguay 
on the eastern side, as for as the river Ipane, and in like 
manner, on the opposite bank, from the mountains of 
Albuquerque downwards. They have made war re- 
peatedly on the Spaniards and Portugueze, without 
ever being subdued- They are armed with lances of 
extraordinary length, bows, arrows, &c. They make 
long incursions on horseback into the neighbouring 
territories. They procure horses in exchange for stout 
cotton cloaks, called Ponchos, which they manufacture. 
There are other Indian nations inhabiting these large 
tracts, some of whom have intermixed both with the 
Portuguese and Spaniards, there being few of the latter on 
any part of the confines without some traces of Indian 
physiognomy. 

From the river Xexuy, downwards, the Paraguay 
takes its general course southwards for thirty-two leagues 
to the city of Assumpcion, the capital of Paraguay, 
and the residence of its governor. The city is situated 
on an obtuse angle made by the eastern bank of the 
river ; the population is by no means trilling, and there 
are some Portugueze among the inhabitants. The go- 
vernment is of vast extent, and its total population is 
said to amount to ne^r 120,000 souls. The land is 
fertile, and contains many rich farms. Its principal 
product is the matte, which is exported to Tucuman 
and Buenos Ayres, from whence it is sent to various 
parts of the Spanish dominions, along the coast of Chili 
and Peru, being a general article of Consumption among 
all ranks of people. Its other products are hides, to- 
bacco, and sugar. From Buenos Ayres large boats 
arrive at the city of Assumpcion, after two or three 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



523 



months' passage. The only difficulty in navigating is 
the great weight of the waters of the Paraguay, which 
flow with great rapidity : but this disadvantage is les- 
sened by favourable winds which blow the greater part 
of the year from the south. 

Six leagues below Assumpcion, on the western side 
of the Paraguay, the river Pilcomayo enters that river 
by its first mouth ; its second is fourteen or sixteen 
leagues lower. In this space some other smaller rivers 
enter on the eastern side, and amongst them the Tibi- 
quari, on an arm of which, twenty leagues south-east 
from Assumpcion, is Villa Rica, a large Spanish town, 
with much property in cattle on its extensive plains, 
The river Vermelho enters the west side of the Para- 
guay in lat. 26° 50'. On the remote upper branch of 
this river is the town of Salto, near an accessible fall. 
It is an important point to the Spaniards, who are trans- 
porting their goods from Buenos Ayres, Tucuman, &x* 
to Upper Peru. 

The River Parana^ 

or Great River, which the first discoverers considered as 
the chief, on account of its abundant waters, unites with 
the eastern side of the Paraguay in lat. 27° 25 ', and 
their united streams take the name of the Rio de la 
Plata, which originated in the following circumstance, 
Martim de Sousa, the first donatory of the capitania of 
St. Vicente, furnished Alexo Garcia with an adequate 
escort to explore the hitherto untrodden wilds to the 
west of the extensive coast of Brazil. This intrepid 
Portugueze, by the route of the Tiete, reached the Pa- 
raguay, which he crossed, and penetrated considerably 
into the interior, from whence he returned, it is said, 
loaded with silver, and some gold : but he halted oil 
the Paraguay, and waited for the coming of his son, a 
youth of tender years, with some of his people, whilst 
he sent forward an account of the discovery. He was 
surprised by a body of Indians, who killed him, took 
his son prisoner, and carried off* all his riches. The year 



324 



TRAVELS IN THE 



following, sixty Portugueze, who were sent in search of 
Garcia, shared the same fate. The Spaniards who first 
settled on this river, seeing so much silver amongst these 
Indians, and supposing it to be the produce of the 
country, called the river La Plata. 

The Parana derives its principal sources from the 
west side of the mountains of Mantiqueira, twenty-five 
leagues west of the town of Paraty. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



323 



CHAP. XIX. 

Account of the Capitania of Rio Grande. 

THE capitania of Rio Grande is one of the most 
important in Brazil. It is of considerable extent, 
and is bounded by the capitania of St. Paul's on the 
north, Matto Grosso on the west, and by the Spanish 
territories, between it and the Rio de la Plata, on the 
south. 

Its port is situated about 32° south ; it is dangerous 
to enter, first from its being shoal water, and next, from 
a violent sea always running, and from the shifting of 
the sands. Notwithstanding these inconveniences, there 
is a great trade carried on from this place to all the ports 
of Brazil, in brigs and small vessels that do not draw 
above ten feet water. After passing the bar, which is 
long, they enter into an inland sea, or lagoon, of deep 
water, and navigate to the north and west to its head, 
where the principal river runs into it. To the southward 
is the lagoon Meni, and the neutral ground, a little to 
the southward of which is the Spanish fortress of Santa 
Teresa, lately put in repair. 

The principal town is defended by many forts, some 
of which are upon islets. Since it was taken from the 
Spaniards by General Coimbra, the Portugueze have 
much strengthened it, and now there is a very conside- 
rable force of cavalry, horse-artillery, and foot- soldiers ; 
so that at a short notice, with the addition of the mili= 
tia, a body of five or seven thousand men rrnght be cal- 
culated upon. 

The climate is considered very fine, and the soil so 
productive, that this district may be called the granary 
of Brazil. The wheat grown here is shipped to all the 
ports on the coast where bread is used. Farming, 



326 



TRAVELS IN THE 



however, is carried on in so slovenly a manner, that the 
grain is always rough, bad skinned, and extremely foul. 
It is packed in raw hides, which are sewed up like sacks : 
it swells, and heats frequently on the passage from Rio 
Grande to the more northerly ports ; and often, after 
landing in Rio de Janeiro, it is left on the quay exposed 
for days to the rain. 

The vicinity of Rio Grande is extremely populous ; 
in a circuit of twenty leagues, the inhabitants, including 
the troops, are estimated at 100,000. Their principal 
occupations are, the breeding of cattle, for which the 
immense tract of pasture-land is so well calculated. 
The drying and preparing of hides, and the making of 
charque, or what is called, in the river Plata, Jug-beef. 
It is prepared in the following manner. After the ox is 
skinned, the flesh is stripped from the bones in as large 
flakes as possible, in some degree resembling sides of 
bacon : it is put into hot brine, where it remains from 
twelve to forty hours, according to the thickness. It is 
then taken out, drained, and dried in the sun, afterwards 
made up into packages that weigh about 1501bs., and 
shipped from this port to all parts of Brazil. It is a 
general article of consumption among the lower classes 
and negroes, and is not unfrequently seen at respectable 
tables, being in taste somewhat similar to hung beef. 
It constitutes the general food for the sailors, and forms 
part of almost every cargo sent out from this port 
It has found its way to the West Indies, where it is in 
great request, and has been frequently sold, during the 
war, at nine-pence or a shilling per pound. The char- 
que prepared at Rio Grande is much superior to that 
brought from the river Plata. During the time that the 
English troops were in possession of Monte Video, in 
consequence of an apprehension that the cattle might be 
driven away, and they be in want of supplies, large 
quantities were contracted for at St. Pedro, which arri- 
ved at Monte Video, though not wanted. They were 
afterwards shipped for the West India market. 

The quantity of hides exported from hence is almost 
incredible : they furnish many vessels with entire car- 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



327 



goes, which are carried to the northern ports, and from, 
thence embarked for Europe. The annual average may 
be estimated at not less than three hundred thousand. 

Tallow forms another considerable article of com- 
merce, which in general is shipped in the crude state, 
and not refined, as in the river rlata. The greater part- 
is consumed in Brazil, and the dealers find it preferable 
to refine the article on the spot, where they manufacture 
it into candles. It is packed in waste raw-hide pack- 
ages.*" 

Horns and horse-hair form an inferior branch of the 
commerce, and are shipped from this port in great quan- 
tities. 

The above are the staple productions of Rio Grande, 
which give employment to - perhaps a hundred sail of 
coasters, some of which make two or three voyages in 
a year, carrying thither rum, sugar, tobacco, cotton 3 
rice, mandioca, sweet-meats, &cc.f 

Of European merchandise, they bring wine, oil, 
olives, glass, and a great variety of English commodi- 
ties, particularly iron, (though they much prefer the 
Swedish,) baizes, coatings, stout woollen cloths, Man- 
chester velverets of various qualities and colours, printed 
cottons, calicoes, muslins, handkerchiefs, silk, cotton, 
and worsted hosiery, hats, flannels, &c. 

Sail-cloth, cordage, anchors, tar, paints, fowling- 
pieces, ammunition of all sorts, hardware of every de- 
scription, particularly slaughter-knives, some plated 
ware, and fancy articles. A great part of the goods are 
conveyed upon horses into the interior, where they are 
carried from house to house for sale or exchange. 

During the old system, so lately as within these four 
years, a most lucrative trade was here carried on with 



* Some English settlers, disappointed in the river Plata, went to Rio 
Grande to establish concerns for curing beef, refining tallow, &c, which 
they soon found it necessary to abandon. 

-f- Almost every vessel brings a greater or smaller number of negroes, it 
being the practice at Rio de Janeiro to ship off all those who are ill-dispo- 
sed and troublesome for Rio Grande, whence, if they continue refractory 
they are frequently sold into the neighbouring colony, 



328 



TRAVELS IN THE 



the Spaniards, who came in numbers, and most eagerly 
bought up the tobacco, and such of the English manu- 
factures as could be transported on horse-back, at great 
prices. Thus Rio Grande and its vicinity became very 
enviable situations, where considerable fortunes were 
made in a little time, as the goods bought were much 
in request, though contraband, and were paid for in 
specie. This trade, so advantageous to each party, is 
now entirely ruined through the eagerness of our specu- 
lators in over- stocking the markets, and selling for two 
what would have been eagerly bought for six. 

The neighbourhood of the capital is an unpleasant 
place, being surrounded with sand and sand-hills of no 
inconsiderable size, formed by the wind blowing the 
sand in heaps in various directions, which become half 
indurated, and appear stratified. The excessively high 
winds which frequently prevail blow the sand so as to 
be very disagreeable, as it enters every part of the 
house. 

The cattle bred in this capitania are very numerous, 
and large herds are brought hither from the Spanish 
frontiers. 

The large river Uruguay rises in this capitania, and 
empties itself into the river Plata, a little above Buenos 
Ayres. There are numerous others of less consequence, 
the banks of which are well stored with wood. Some 
attempts were lately made, by miners sent from Villa 
Rica, to work gold- washings. In the neighbourhood 
of the capital they have coal, a specimen of which I 
have seen. From the same district, a gentleman shew- 
ed me a substance which he could not define ; on seeing 
it, I asked him if he was certain that it came from 
thence ; he assured me that he was : I then told him it 
was wolfram ; and stated that this metal strongly indi- 
cated tin, of which it is frequently an attendant in 
Europe, though probably it may not be so in America 
or Asia. It was ^amorphous, not rounded by friction, 



* Amorphous word often used by our author, is in fact notan English but 
a French expression signifying shapeless. Hauy uses it when speaking- or 
substances which assume no determinate form. Amer. Ejuxok. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



329 



and weighed at least a pound. Of the geology of this 
capitania very little is known. 

In various parts jaguars, and other beasts of prey ? 
are very common. Among the granivorous animals 
are capivaras of great size, deer in great numbers, and 
armadillos, which afford excellent eating Avhen roasted. 
Of birds, there are ostriches of the dark-coloured spe- 
cies, which go about in flocks in great numbers. There 
are eagles, hawks, and other birds of prey, particularly 
a species of crow of the vulture kind. Cranes, storks, 
wild turkeys, ducks, partridges, horned plovers, goat- 
suckers, horned owls, small parrots, cardinals, humming 
birds, &c. are found in great numbers. 

The inhabitants are, generally speaking, athletic and 
robust, and so extremely fond of riding, as not to go 
the smallest distance on foot. They are esteemed ex- 
cellent horsemen, and greatly surpass their neighbours 
in dexterity and agility, particularly in catching cattle 
with the balls and the lazo. But it ought to be under- 
stood that the Spaniards have Peons on their farms, 
who are more nearly allied to the Indians than to them, 
whereas the Portugueze have Creolians, bred up to the 
business, or expert negroes, w T ho are inferior to none in 
this labour. 

It is singular to Europeans, that in this fine climate, 
where the thermometer is frequently below 40° Fahren- 
heit, and where are bred as fine cows as any in the world, 
and every convenience is at hand for dairies, neither 
butter nor cheese is made, except on particular occa- 
sions. Nor is milk even for coffee to be procured at 
all times. It may probably be urged that the produc- 
tion of these articles would not answer the purpose of 
the farmers : but certainly it might be made to do so. 
And I hesitate not to say, that a hundred cows, kept 
for dairy purposes, would yield to any man capable of 
rearing, training, and managing them, a greater profit 
than any other part of husbandry. This colony might 
easily be made to supply the neighbouring districts, and 
even the whole of Brazil, with these articles. 

A number of years ago some hemp was grown here 
T T 



33U 



TRAVELS IN THE 



by order of Government : it proved excellent, but was 
abandoned because it was troublesome to dress, and 
probably did not yield sufficient profit. 

In some places grapes are very good, and probably 
wine will soon be made from them, as the restraint laid 
by the mother-country upon her colonies is now re- 
moved. 

For the last two or three years, troops have been con* 
tinually sent to Rio Grande, where they soon become 
disciplined, and are ready for any expedition, should 
hostilities commence with their neighbours. Perhaps 
in no place could an army be maintained at less ex- 
pence. Their cavalry stands in the highest reputation, 
and their flying-artillery is said to be equal to any in 
Europe ; nor is this improbable, when we consider the 
excellence of their horses, and the discipline the troops 
have undergone ever since they left St. Paul's. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



CHAP. XX 



General Observations on the Trade from England to 

Brazil, 

HAVING, in a preceding part of this work, stat- 
ed the importance of Rio de Janeiro as a port 
which from its locality appears destined by nature to 
become the metropolis of a vast empire, and the centre 
of an extensive commerce, it may not be improper in 
this place to treat more at large on this interesting 
subject. 

The ships best calculated for trade from England are 
those which carry about four hundred tons, and sail 
well. It is particularly necessary that they should have 
the latter quality ; for, if they have not, the voyage from 
thence to England is frequently rendered very tedious 
by their being driven so far to the westward by the 
north-east trade- wind. Owing to this circumstance, it 
is not uncommon for a packet, or fast-sailing ship, to 
make a passage from the coast of Brazil to England in 
five or six weeks, when a heavy-sailing vessel is 
double that time in arriving at her destination. The 
best season for sailing from England, and that which 
affords the greatest probability of making a short 
passage, in the month of February or March, because 
then the north-east winds prevail. I should advise 
crossing the line in not less than 22^, nor more than 
25 Q west longitude, if the destination be the Plata or 
Rio de Janeiro, as I have twice experienced very heavy 
calms in crossing the line between 19° and 20°. Ships 
bound to Bahia, Pernambuco, and ports more. northerly, 
will of course cross the line more to the westward, as 
they will have nothing to fear : but the south west 
trade-wind would generally cause ships going farther 
south to fall in with the land too soon, Should that be 
the case, I would advise them, if they make the land 



332 



TRAVELS IN THE 



to the north of the Alboroxos,* to keep in -shore, a§ 
the land-breeze frequently blows along-shore until 
mid -day. The ports on this coast are in general good 
and secure, nevertheless it is highly desirable to be pro- 
vided with good anchors and cables, particularly in the 
Rio de la Plata. In the Portugueze territories the port- 
charges are not so expensive as formerly. A dollar 
per day is exacted for anchorage, which forms the prin- 
cipal charge. I particularly recommend that all home- 
ward-bound ships should lay in a sufficiency of neces- 
sary stores, especially of water, so as to make the 
passage without being obliged to go into the Western 
Isles, as there the port-charges and attendant expences 
are very exorbitant, though the only articles wanted 
are a few casks of water, and a hundred weight or two 
of bread. 

For loading vessels, peculiar boats, so frequently 
used in the West Indies, are by no means wanted in 
these ports, though good boats are always absolutely 
necessary. Ships are loaded in Rio de Janeiro, and 
other ports of Brazil, as well as in the Plata, by lighters 
which are very expensive, and difficult to be procured 
when many ships are loading. 

When a vessel enters any of the ports, the health- 
boat and custom-boat make a visit before she anchors, 
and their report is immediately made ; after which, pro- 
per officers, called guards, are sent on board. These 
men in general are not very liberally provided for; 
they are extremely civil and accommodatng, and ought 
to be treated with respect. Since the establishment of 
the treaty of commerce between this government and 
that of Brazil, the contraband trade has been almost 
done away ; for the duties are now much reduced, and 
the accommodation which the judge and subordinate 
officers of the custom-house are disposed to allow is 
such, as to render that nefarious practice unnecessary. 

It may not be improper in this place to describe the 



* It has been found, however, from modern surveys, thut those rocks axe. 
by no means so dangerous as they have been represented 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



333 



consequences produced in Rio de Janeiro by the ex- 
cessive commercial speculations into which our mer- 
chants entered, immediately after the emigration of the 
Court of Portugal, and which could only be equalled 
by those which followed our expeditions to the Rio de 
la Plata. 

Owing to the incredible competition or struggle 
among our merchants, who should send most ships 
and cargoes to a country, whose civilized population, 
exclusive of slaves, does not exceed eight hundred 
thousand souls, (one-third, at least, of whom may be 
said to make use only of what their land produces,) it 
is natural to suppose that the market would be almost 
instantly overstocked. So great and so unexpected 
was the influx of English manufactures into Rio de 
Janeiro, within a few days after the arrival of the Prince, 
thac the rent of houses to put them into became enor- 
mously dear. The bay was covered with ships, and 
the custom-house soon overflowed with goods. Even 
salt, casks of ironmongery, and nails, salt-fish, hogs- 
heads of cheese, hats, together with an immense quan- 
tity of crates and hogsheads of earthen and glass ware, 
cordage, bottled and barrelled porter, paints, gums, 
resin, tar, &c. were exposed, not only to the sun and 
rain, but to general depredation. The inhabitants of 
Rio de Janeiro, and more particularly some of the Creo- 
lians and strangers from the interior, thought that these 
goods were placed there for their benefit, and extolled 
the goodness and generosity of the English, who 
strewed the beach to a great extent with articles for 
which their own countrymen had heretofore charged 
them such high prices. It is true that the gentlemen 
entrusted with these valuable consignments did apply 
for centinels to be placed to guard the articles thus ex- 
posed, and their request was immediately complied 
with. The result was such as might easily have been 
anticipated from such watchmen, many of whom did 
not fail to profit largely by the appointment. In the 
course of several weeks the beach began to assume a 
less crowded appearance ; some few of the goods were 



334 



TRAVELS IN THE 



taken to the residence of their owners, others were re- 
moved ; but to what place, or by whom, there was no 
way of ascertaining ; and a very great proportion was 
sold at the custom-house for the benefit of the under- 
writers. This stratagem, so frequently practised, (and 
certainly deserving of the severest reprehension,) after- 
wards operated as a very serious injury to the regular 
sale of articles; for, as the market was so overstocked, 
scarcely any one would offer money for goods, except 
at the custom-house sales. As the depreciation con- 
tinued, numberless packages were there exposed for 
sale, in part damaged, or apparently so. Indeed, little 
more than the mark of a cord on the outside of a single 
article, or a corner discoloured, in a package however 
large, was a sufficient pretext for presuming and pro- 
nouncing the whole to be damaged, By means of this 
sentence, so easily obtained, great quantities of goods 
were brought to the hammer in the custom-house 
warehouses, under every disadvantage ; thus the owners 
recovered the amount insured for, and the insurers 
lost the difference between that sum and the price they 
were sold at, also the attendant expences. Many of 
the underwriters will, no doubt, retain a lasting remem- 
brance of the sales which took place at Bio de Janeiro, 
and other parts of South America, for their benefit. 

To the serious losses thus occasioned by an over- 
stocked market, and by the sacrifice of goods at what- 
ever price could be obtained, may be added another, 
which originated in the ignorance of many persons who 
sent out articles to a considerable amount not at all 
suited to the country ; one speculator, of wonderful 
foresight, sent large invoices of stays for ladies, who 
never heard of such armour. Another sent skates, for 
the use of a people who are totally uninformed that 
water can become ice. A third sent out a considerable 
assortment of the most elegant coffin-furniture, not 
knowing that coffins are never used by the Brazilians, 
or in the Plata. To these absurd speculations may be 
added numerous others, particularly in articles of taste. 
Elegant services of cut glass were little appreciated by 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



335 



men accustomed to drink out of a horn or a cocoa- 
nut-shell ; and brilliant chandeliers were still less valued 
in a country where only lamps that afforded a gloomy 
light were used. Superfine woollen cloths were equally 
ill-suited to the market ; no one thought them suffi- 
ciently strong. An immense quantity of high priced 
saddles, and thousands of whips,* were sent out to a 
people as incapable of adopting them as they were of 
knowing their convenience. They were astonished to 
see Englishmen ride on such saddles ; nor could they 
imagine any thing more insecure. Of the bridles 
scarcely any use could be made, as the bit was not cal- 
culated to keep the horse or mule in subordination. 
These articles were of course sacrificed. Great quan- 
tities of the nails and ironmongery were useless, as they 
were not calculated for the general purposes of the people. 
Large cargoes of Manchester goods were sent ; and, in a 
few months, more arrived than had been consumed in 
the course of twenty years preceding. No discrimina- 
tion was used in the assortment of these articles, with 
respect either to quality or fineness, so that common 
prints were disposed of at less than a shilling a yard, 
and frequently in barter. Fish from Newfoundland 
met with a similar fate ; also porter, large quantities of 
which, in barrels, arrived among a people, of whom a 
few only had tasted that article as a luxury. How the 
shippers in London, and other British ports, could 
imagine that porter would at once become a general be- 
verage, it is difficult to conceive, especially when sent 
in barrels. These cargoes, being unsaleable, were of 
course warehoused, and of course spoiled. Newfound- 
land fish, that was generally sold at from twelve to twenty 
dollars per quintal, was now unsaleable at four, and in 
many instances did not pay ware house-room. Earthen- 
ware was perhaps rather more favourably received than 
many of the former articles, for plates, &c. soon came 
into general use. Having enumerated various commo- 



* In Brazil the bridle is made of sufficient length to serve the purpose of 
a whip. 



336 



TRAVELS IN THE 



dities which suffered a general depreciation, it may be 
sufficient to add that many invoices of fancy goods, and 
such as do not constitute a staple trade, were sold at 
from sixty to seventy per cent, under costs and charges, 
and others were totally lost. To enter more into detail 
would be unnecessary. It is hoped that the trade will 
in time find its regular course, and that the adventurers 
will derive from it some compensation for their former 
losses, though no possible change can repair the total 
ruin which numbers have incurred. Experience will 
now have fully shewn the fallacy of those golden hopes 
which some persons conceived from the reputed wealth 
of South America, and we shall no longer hear of those 
absurdities which characterised the first commercial 
speculations to the river Plata. What must have 
been the delusions of those traders who sent out tools, 
formed with a hatchet on one side and a hammer on 
the other, for the conveniency of breaking the rocks, 
and cutting the precious metals from them, as if they 
imagined that a man had only to go into the mountains, 
\nd cut as much gold as would pay for the articles he 
wanted ! 

Other evils resulted from these ill-judged and ex- 
cessive speculations to South America, which might 
naturally have been anticipated. The first was, that the 
produce was bought up with such avidity that many arti- 
cles were soon double their ordinary value, and continu- 
ed to rise as our manufactures lowered. But this was not 
all: the purchasers suffered equally from their igno- 
rance of the quality of the articles, as from their eager- 
ness in purchasing them. For instance ; any kind of 
sebaceous matter was greedily bought for tallow ; and 
numberless hides, spoiled in the drying and eaten by 
the grub, met with ready sale. Little attention was 
paid to the state they were in ; and thus it frequently 
happened that lots and cargoes of those articles, instead 
of reimbursing the adventurer to whom they were con- 
signed, scarcely paid freight and charges. This was 
also the case with coffee and other staple articles. 
Many gentlemen, more knowing than others, sent 



INTERIOR OP BRAZILS. 



337 



home lots of curious wood, and even entered into the 
illicit trade of shipping the dye-wood, which generally 
proved very disadvantageous, as the wood of that 
species grown in the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro is very 
inferior in quality to that of Pernambuco, from whence 
that trade is allowed by contract. The folly of specu- 
lation did not stop here. Precious stones appeared to 
offer the most abundant source of riches ; the general 
calculation was made upon the price at which they 
sold in London : but every trader bought them, more 
or less, at the price at which they were offered. In. 
voices of goods were bartered for some, which in 
London would sell for, comparatively, a trifle, as they 
were taken without discrimination as to quality or per- 
fection. Tourmalines were sold for emeralds, crystals 
for topazes, and both common stones and vitreous 
paste have been bought as diamonds to a considerable 
amount. Both gold and diamonds were well known 
to be produced in Brazil ; and their being by law con- 
traband, was a sufficient temptation to eager speculators 
who had never before seen either in their native state. 
False diamonds were weighed with scrupulousness, 
and bought with avidity, to sell by the rules stated by 
Jefferies. Gold-dust, as it is commonly called, appear- 
ed in no inconsiderable quantity, and, after being weigh- 
ed with equal exactness, was bought or bartered for. 
But previous to this many samples underwent the fol- 
lowing easy and ingenious process. The brass pans 
purchased of the English were filed, and mixed with 
the gold in the proportion of from five to ten per cent., 
according to the opinion which the seller formed of the 
sagacity of the person with whom he had to deal: and 
thus, by a simple contrivance, some of our countrymen 
repurchased at three or four guineas per ounce the very 
article which they had before sold at 2s. 6d. per pound. 

In enumerating the losses occasioned by the depre- 
ciation of goods, I have omitted to notice the heavy 
expences upon them after the purchase, as packing, 
shipping, convoy-duty, freight, insurance, commission, 
and other incidental charges. Then suppose any staple 

U u 



338 



TRA.VELS IN THE 



article to be bought ; there are the expences of com- 
mission for buying, of warehouse-room, shipping and 
the attendant fees, freight, and insurance ; and, on the 
arrival of the merchandize in England, there are duties, 
dockage, warehouse-room, and many other items which 
leave no small interest in the hands of those who do the 
business, 

It is scarcely possible to imagine, much less to de- 
scribe, t the disappointment which prevailed among mer- 
cantile gentlemen a few months after their arrival in 
South America, particularly among those who had or- 
ders not to sell the goods entrusted to them lower than 
the prices specified. 

Their sanguine expectations of incalculable heaps or 
bars of gold speedily vanished ; many persons came to 
look at their stores, but few offered to buy ; and, in- 
credible as it may appear, yet it is true, that when goods 
were offered to them at half the original cost, they in- 
variably exclaimed, " Very dear/' Scenes of this 
kind I have repeatedly witnessed, and could scarcely 
suppress my indignation at seeing goods thus depre- 
ciated, which a few months before were so eagerly 
sought after. Gentlemen consignees so situated were 
at a loss how to act. The duties, rents, charges, and 
other expences were high, and must peremptorily be 
paid ; their only resource was to open a shop or room 
for the purpose of selling their goods by retail. 

These gentlemen had calculated upon doing business 
only in the large way, similar to our first mercantile 
houses : they had set apart their hours for horse-exer- 
cise, and for going to their country-seats.* The idea 
of vending by retail was a bitter which destroyed all 
their pleasing anticipations of doing business in style. 
They came out as merchants, and could not stoop to 
be shopkeepers ; and many of them, rather than yield 
to that degradation, sent goods to auctions. Others 
with more prudence accommodated themselves to cir- 



• Delicate connections were soon formed, and females of the obscurest 
class appeared dressed in the most costly extreme of English fashion. 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS, 



339 



eumstanees, and were not offended at being asked for a 
pair of boots or a hat. These persons reaped all the 
advantage of the trade, as they got their price by selling 
to those whose necessities prompted them to purchase 3 
and were ever ready to sell by the package when oppor- 
tunity offered. Many of these gentlemen, it is true, 
have been much blamed by the consignors, who have 
expressed great dissatisfaction at their proceedings, both 
in the disposal of the property sent to them, and in 
purchase of merchandise to return. These complaints 
were, perhaps, in some degree founded in reason, 
though much may be said in extenuation of the former, 
not only on the ground of their want of experience^ 
but the unexampled situation of affairs ; for a respecta- 
ble and confidential clerk, however capable of copying 
an invoice, going to Lloyd's, or casting up a page in a 
ledger, must make a very poor figure as a tradesman, 
being very incapable of ascertaining or stating the merits 
of manufactured goods, and still less qualified to pur- 
chase the staple articles and general produce of the 
country. These severe and grievous disadvantages 
frequently gave the Brazilians the double advantage of 
buying below the market-price, and of selling above it. 

From these and many other unfortunate and disastrous 
circumstances, the trade could not fail to become 
gradually worse and worse ; hence it is very natural to 
imagine that necessitous consignors, eager to see the 
gold which they had so long and so vainly anticipated, 
became pressing for remittances. One disappointment 
succeeded another. Remonstrances were made ; and 
powers of attorney were at length sent out almost by 
cargoes ; property was removed from one consignee to 
another, at great expence, but to no purpose. At home 
the greatest confusion prevailed for want of money ? 
until that lamentable and unfortunate epoch, when the 
columns of the Gazette were filled with the names of 
those very respectable merchants, who, before those 
ruinous speculations, were in a state of affluence. 

Misunderstandings frequently arose between the En- 
glish and the Portuguese, either in making contracts^ 



340 



TRAVELS IN THE 



or in not complying with them ; and they were con- 
tinually prosecuting each other for injuries which both 
parties professed to have sustained. These litigation? 
might have terminated very expensively, if not other- 
wise seriously, had not the wise measures of the Judge 
Conservador, approved by His Excellency Lord Strange 
ford, prevented the perplexities of legal proceedings. 
The appeals of the English were always heard ; they 
were strangers whom His Royal Highness protected, 
and they ever found in the Conde de Linhares a firm and 
powerful friend, and in the British Ambassador a wise 
and prudent supporter of their claims. They were allow- 
ed peculiar privileges, similar to those enjoyed by the 
nobles in Portugal : they could also claim the posses- 
sion of houses inhabited by useless families. Their 
rents could not be raised ; and, in case of embarrass- 
ment in their affairs, an appeal to the Prince procured 
them a term of ten years, during which their creditors 
could not molest them. These and many other acts of 
favour toward the English certainly excited the jealousy 
of the resident Portugueze, who frequently exclaimed, 
that to live in Brazil it was necessary to become an 
Englishman. 

Had it been possible to bring the whole trade to Bra- 
zil under one interest, many of these fatal consequences 
might have been prevented. It should have been under 
the control and direction of experienced merchants, 
who would have sent out such articles as were known 
to be wanted, and whose agents would have been ac- 
tively employed in obtaining intelligence respecting the 
population of the country, its produce, and its consump- 
tion, particularly in goods of English manufacture. In- 
terest would naturally prompt them to order and buy 
all that the country required, and return to this country 
those articles which were most likely to answer the 
general demand. 

If the trade had been properly conducted, we should 
have received for a fifth of the produce which has been 
sold the same amount which has been paid for the whole, 
and it is certain that the purchasers would have been 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



341 



better satisfied; for, to vend goods at a reasonable 
price is the certain way to keep the demand steady, 
but to force them upon the consumer, whether he wants 
them or not, is to render what was once a luxury so 
common as to become contemptible. 

In the Plata, the mojiied men bought very largely of 
the cargoes which first arrived, and were afterwards 
considerable losers by the overflow which took place, 
when men of less capital bought for ten thousand dol- 
lars, what a few weeks before sold for fifteen or twenty. 
In Rio de Janeiro the case was somewhat different ; for 
the monied men thought the English manufactures in- 
exhaustible, and therefore kept back their gold, leaving 
the trade principally to men of a secondary class, who 
bought with great caution, and sold very promptly, for 
fear of a further depreciation. 

Having stated the ruinous consequences of sending 
out goods not saleable, it may be proper to point out 
the articles in general consumption, though even these 
may be sold at great loss if the markets be overstocked, 
for trade must depend on the wants and necessities of 
the consumer. If a person possesses seven or eight 
hats, as many coats, Ike. it is unreasonable to suppose 
that he can want more, though he may be tempted to 
purchase, if offered at very reduced prices : but even 
that must have an end, and a trade must soon expire, 
where one party is constantly the loser. This has been 
too generally the result of our late speculations in South 
America, into which people hurried without calculation 
or foresight. 

Iron and steel are articles for which there is a general 
and constant demand. The smiths prefer Swedish iron, 
as they have been always accustomed to it, and do not 
know how to heat and work the English. The next 
article to be mentioned is salt, in which the Brazilians 
are by no means nice. It is made and loaded at one or 
two places on the coast, but that which is most esteem- 
ed comes from the Cape de Verde islands ; that brought 
from Liverpool is generally used in the sea-ports. Com- 
mon woollens, baizes, and some stout fine s cloths, parti- 



342 



TRAVELS IN THE 



cularly blue and black, are generally worn ; also kersey = 
meres. Cotton goods of almost every description, 
especially if low priced, meet with ready sale. Hats 
of all sorts, (particularly dress hats,) and boots and shoes 
of English manufacture, have of late been sold in great 
quantities ; the leather is much preferable to that made 
in Brazil. Common and finer earthen ware, and glass; 
some sorts of fine and coarse hard- ware ; some plated 
goods, as candles now begin to be used instead of lamps. 
Bottled porter, Cheshire cheese, butter, cheap furniture, 
tin-plate, brass, lead in various shapes, shot of all sizes, 
gunpowder, drugs, some philosophical instruments, 
books, low-priced paper, watches, telescopes, salt pro- 
visions, as hams, tongues, and barrelled pork, loW- priced 
sadlery, and, most of all, India and other goods fit for 
the African coast. Marble mortars, mirrors, and many 
fancy articles of less note. Silk and cotton hosiery, 
fashionable dresses for ladies, particularly fine stockings 
and shoes. 

It is to be observed that the mother- country still 
continues to send oil, wine, brandv, linens, cottons, 
some silks, and a variety of articles of inferior conse- 
quence. India goods, consisting chiefly of cottons, 
are sent from the Malabar coast, and China goods are 
in great plenty. From North America are imported 
flour, salt provisions, turpentine, tar, staves, household 
furniture, &c. 

Naval stores, clothing for sailors, arms, &c. may be 
said to be generally in demand. 

The staple articles of trade from Brazil and the river 
Plate which are most in demand in this country, when 
its markets are not overstocked, are cotton, coffee, 
hides, tallow of good quality, horns, hair, fur-skins, and 
feathers. Sugar cannot be enumerated among them, 
because our existing colonial regulations prevent it 
from being generally used in this country : but Brazil 
is well calculated for growing it, having every conve- 
nience of situation, and all the materials requisite for 
machinery. To the above may be added some wood ; 
that beautiful species, called jacaranda, here denominate 



INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 



343 



ed rose-wood, is subject to so high a duty in this 
country, that it cannot be generally introduced for ca- 
binet use, that from the East Indies excepted. I do 
not say any thing of indigo, as it is in general inferior. 
Rice of excellent quality is cultivated to great extent. 
Tobacco, it is to be hoped, will be better cured, to suit 
the English market ; for no where can a soil and climate 
be found more favourable to the production of that 
plant than in Brazil. 

Since the emigration of the court from Lisbon, Rio 
de Janeiro may be truly called the mart of South Ame- 
rica, and is likely to become a general depot of goods 
from the four quarters of the globe : yet its commerce 
to Africa, to India, and the islands in the Indian sea be- 
longing to the crown of Portugal, as well as its inter- 
course with China, has scarcely been entered into. 
So many disappointments, caused by the political 
events in the mother- country, and so unexpected an 
influx of goods from England, occasioned such a stag- 
nation in commercial dealings that the opulent mer- 
chants were determined not to speculate, and other 
great capitalists, from the heavy losses they have sus- 
tained, were unable. Thus the monopoly that was 
hitherto exercised by the former class of merchants 
ceased ; the English took their place, and sold goods to 
the public in the best manner they could. Numbers of 
public auctions were established, and goods of all des- 
criptions were sent thither to be disposed of in the best 
way possible, wholesale or retail, in barter, or for money. 
Thus little was done by private merchants in compa- 
rison with what was sold at auctions which indeed ap- 
peared the only possible mode of vending a great variety 
of goods. Residents in Rio de Janeiro, and persons 
from the country in great numbers, attended the sales : 
the general desire was to buy cheap, without any regard 
to quality. From this source branched numerous 
smaller streams ; for many persons who bought at these 
sales immediately parcelled out the goods in smaller 
assortments, and gave employment to walking shop- 
keepers, who were daily occupied in going from door 



344 TRAVELS IN THE INTERIOR OF BRAZILS. 

to door, followed by negroes, bearing on their heads 
tables-full of various articles. Thus muslins, hand- 
kerchiefs, prints, kerseymeres, hardware, &x. might be 
purchased cheaper than they were obtained in England. 

When trade shall have resumed its regular channel, 
Rio de Janeiro will, no doubt, be a grand and general 
market for the produce of all the ancient Portugueze 
possessions : it will be a kind of half-way house between 
Europe and India, and every description of Asiatic 
produce will be found in its warehouses. Brazil, freed 
from colonial restrictions, will soon become doubly 
populous. Its gold, instead of being transported to 
foreign countries as heretofore, will circulate among 
the inhabitants ; and, under a wise legislature, it is 
reasonable to hope that in twenty years this great coun- 
try will rise in prosperity more than any other in the 
same space of time. 



APPENDIX 



(A.) Page 44. 

THE revolution of the provinces of Rio de la Plata ought 
not to be considered as a momentary commotion caused 
by a party, or as a public ferment of but transient duration. 
It is an unanimous proceeding of ail the people, which had 
been long in preparation, and the execution of which was 
called for by circumstances — by the dismemberment of the 
Spanish monarchy, and by the consequent necessity, that Ame- 
rica should provide for her own existence, by constituting 
herself at least in such a form as should shelter her from the 
ruin that threatened the great whole. To view it in this 
light, we need only consider the simultaneous commotions 
which took place in other distinct parts of Spanish America, 
which without any previous combination of plans, produced 
the same general results as in this division of the colonies, 
and which, notwithstanding the difficulties opposed to them, 
have lasted two years, not only without abatement, but with 
an accession of strength, from the very obstacles employed 
to quell them. 

Considered as a political event which threatens to change 
the aspect of an extensive continent, the revolution of Buenos 
Avres well merits the trouble and attention of tracing its 
causes, its progress, and its effects ,* nor ought we to act so 
lightly towards a people, as to censure their conduct, with- 
out ascertaining the motives and objects by which it was ac- 
tuated. As the spirit of party is one of the effects of every 
revolution, and, as the innovations in America must have had 
as many enemies as there were individuals usuted by interest 
to the ancient form of government, or subsisting on the infa- 
mous monopoly by which she has heen oppressed for three 
centuries, it will not appear strange, that the selfish and the 
narrow-minded should have misrepresented the proceedings 
of the inhabitants in the outset of their new career, nd 
should have attacked with calumnies those men whom they 
could not reduce to submission by force. Whether or not 



346 



APPENDIX. 



the revolution of the provinces of the river Plate be just, 
whether or not it be well meditated, and will in the end be 
successful, are problems which I am neither able nor willing 
to solve. Regarding it merely in a historical point of view, 
I shall proceed to speak of the more recent events, and at- 
tempt to give the reader an idea of the state in which those 
countries are at present, and of the manner in which they 
have brought about the changes that are now observable 
among them. 

For this purpose, it is necessary to direct our considera- 
tion to the period anterior to the establishment of the present 
Junta of government, and recur to the events which took 
place among the people, subsequent to the invasion of the 
English. The military exertions occasioned by that enter- 
prise, awoke the spirit of the inhabitants of the vice-royalty, 
and excited in them a degree of vigour and energy of which 
they had never before been conscious. The royal authority 
exercised by the viceroy, under whose government the coun- 
try had been lost at the period of Major-General Beresford's 
expedition, could not but sink into contempt before the eyes 
of a people who had of themselves re-conquered the coun- 
try, and had afterwards successfully proved their valour' 
against the English arms. A viceroy incapable, if not pusil- 
lanimous, who had done nothing more than passively witness 
the loss of two important places belonging to the Spanish 
crown in these territories, and who, by his feeble measures 3 
was bringing on other misfortunes, at the time when Sir 
Samuel Achmuty had already occupied Monte-Video, was 
ignominiously deposed by an extraordinary Junta of the 
people, who assembled in the Cabildo to treat of measures 
fit to be adopted in circumstances so critical. I shall abstain 
from giving an opinion on this signal proceeding of the peo- 
ple of Buenos Ay res, which was doubtless no good augury 
for the interests of the metropolis, and I know not whether, 
in respect to the illegality of the measure, the colonists ought 
to have waited for the resolution of the cabinet of Madrid, 
on a point which, although very urgent, was, in truth, deli- 
cate ; but certain it is, that had they not, on this occasion, 
taken to themselves the privileges of the Sovereign, there 
was much risk that his decisions, when they should arrive, 
might be dispensed with. This deposal, by a natural conse- 
quence, gave the chair of the Viceroy Sobremonte to the 
naval captain, Don Santiago Liniers, a French emigrant, who 
had headed the military expedition which restored the place 
to the Spaniards on the 12th of August 1806, and who occu- 
pied the same rank when it was invaded by General White^ 



APPENDIX, 



347 



iocke in 180?. It may with truth be said, that accident alone 
effected the elevation of this man ; devoid of morals, and a 
victim of dissipation and gaming, he was sunk into a humili- 
ating obscurity, whence he rose from the condition of a sub- 
altern to the high rank of chief of these provinces, of which 
he had just been the restorer and defender, not by the effect 
of his military talents, but through the favour of fortune 
alone. Vain of success equally unexpected and glorious, he 
devoted himself entirely to the most ambitious projects, and 
finished by uniting himself with the revolution of Spain, 
which, leaving the monarchy without a head, and dismember- 
ing all the parts of that great edifice, presented to him the 
most favourable field for. the execution of the various plans 
he was continually forming. At one time it appeared to be 
his intention to keep all these parts of the kingdom inactive, 
until the fate of the metropolis should be decided, and he 
might join the victorious dynasty, as was done by his prede- 
cessors in the war of the Succession ; at another time, he 
openly favoured the cause of the French, and, as if he dis- 
trusted the result of the contest, seemed desirous of precipi- 
tating these countries into the power of the Usurper. He 
even ventured to issue cautionary proclamations of an insi- 
dious nature, in which he invoked the name of His Imperial 
and Royal Majesty, a name hitherto never recognized in 
these regions, and sent out emissaries with letters for Napo- 
leon, giving an account of the state of the colony, as he had 
done even in the time of Charles IV., when he addressed to 
Paris the accounts of the late defeat of the English in the 
river Plata, suing, by this plausible pretext, the favour of the 
Regulator of the Destinies of Europe, for such he styled 
him. Lastly, he was disposed to uphold the pretentions of 
the Infanta Carlota to the internal government of that terri- 
tory, by way of a provisional administration, during the un- 
certain state of the Spanish monarchy. Of all these projects, 
among which I should be at a loss to distinguish the favour- 
ite one, the basis and indispensible condition was, the per- 
manency of his own command in the provinces, which is in- 
deed the end and motive of all the public functionaries oi 
America ; and, as it was to be feared, that the disorder in the 
metropolis might give rise to commotions in the colonies, 
which are ever to be dreaded by the constituted authorities, 
the Viceroy Liniers thought proper to conceal the real state 
of affairs, at least for some time, until he might be able, 
with greater security* to fix his views on a certain point. 
Conformably to this safe line of policy, he contradicted all 
the rumours which had been spread, respecting the disas- 



348 



APPENDIX, 



trous fortunes of the house of Bourbon in Europe, and con~ 
stantly gave the lie to all the varying accounts concerning 
them which were received through private channels, so 
that whoever dared to doubt the sincerity of the French to- 
wards Spain, was accused of treason and blasphemy. The 
magistrates (Oidores) would have entered into the plan, had 
it been merely for the sake of continuing in their offices ; and 
the Cabildo, at that time composed of European Spaniards, 
favoured these artifices without seeing their drift ; for, from 
the remarkable ignorance which no oriously characterized 
every individual among them, we have not the smallest scru- 
ple in impeaching their judgment ; but, as a voluntary con- 
cession to their sense of honour, we would rather allow, that 
the sole intention which actuated them, was a rage for sup- 
pressing bad news. From these different elements of autho- 
rity, cunningly combined by Liniers, was formed an extra- 
ordinary Junta, (convoked and presided over by himself,) to 
determine on all public concerns which presented themselves; 
this establishment, however, was accidental, and produced no 
other effect than that of giving efficiency to the will of their 
chief. 

The arrival of a French sloop of war at Maldonado in the 
month of July, of the same year (1807), with an emissary- 
sent by Napoleon, produced a change of scene, and developed 
the mystery. However, as the vessel had arrived at sixty 
leagues distance from the capital, the affair was still misre- 
presented to the people, who were told that, in proof of the 
good faith with which the Fre ch had entered Spain, Napo- 
leon sent this ship, laden with muskets and other arms, in 
order that they might defend themselves against the English. 
The Old Spaniards resident in Buenos Ayres were the great- 
est dupes of this miserable imposture ; and for two succes- 
sive nights exhibited the ridiculous spectacle of parading the 
streets with bands of music and lighted torches, and rending 
the air with acclamations of Viva Napoleon: so earnest v. ere 
they in this classic display of their stupid foolishness, that, it 
may be presumed, they excited the con passion even of those 
who contrived the deception. The emissary having arrived at 
the capital, the Junt* above-mentioned was convened, and his 
dispatches were read. They consisted of some orders from 
the new ministers O'Farrel and Azanza, giving an account of 
the occurrences at Aranjuez and Bayonne, and the consequent 
abdications of the crown of Spain in favour of Joseph. In 
these papers, reflections were made on the necessity of ac- 
ceding to such measures, even if it were for no other reason 
than that of avoiding a disastrous war, which could be pro- 



APPENDIX. 



349 



ductive of no advantage, as its last result would be the ruin 
of the nation, whicn, in that case, would have to yield uncon- 
ditionally to the law of the conqueror, whereas an opportuni- 
ty now offered, of peaceably placing at its head a wise king 
supported by the immense influence and power of his omni- 
potent brother. To this was added, a long and piteous narra- 
tive of the evils brought on Spain by the family of the Bour- 
bons, especially by its later branches, whose misconduct, al- 
though described in exaggerated terms, and with a malicious 
design, was not altogether misrepresented ; the whole con- 
cluded with an admonition to the Americans, stating, that the 
well-disposed Spaniards of the metropolis expected that they 
would conduct themselves in this critical conjuncture, at least, 
with the prudence which their forefathers had manifested in 
the war of the Succession. Moreover, there came orders 
from the council of Castile, requiring that oaths of allegi- 
ance should be taken for the new King Joseph, with others 
for the Emperor Napoleon, and an additional mass of print- 
ed papers were distributed on the occasion* As these papers 
imposed a responsibility on the chiefs of the Viceroy alty for 
whatever contravention or resistance might take place, and as 
the affair was of such high importance, the government 
thought they could free themselves from such responsibility 
by transferring it to the people, who might, of their own ac- 
cord, take a resolution for which they themselves wanted 
courage, and which, being adopted as it were by the force of 
the general will, would prevent any blame being attributed 
to the persons in power. The Cabildo were of opinion, that 
the state of the monarchy should be made public, and that, 
by burning the papers brought by the emissary, (which was 
done to the printed ones, but not to the ministerial orders, 
&c.) an idea of the nature of his commission might go forth, 
and they might then wait to see what part the people would 
take, still inclining them to hope for a favourable turn to the 
existing disasters, which, in their judgment, were but transi- 
tory. Liniers executed all this in the most dexterous man- 
ner, without closing the way against the introduction of his 
own plan, and without losing sight for a moment of his attach- 
ment to the French. The proclamation he issued, announ- 
cing the state of Spain, and the disappearance of the reigning 
family, will be an eternal monument of his sinister intentions, 
as well as a source of shame to the people, for having suffer- 
ed him to insult them by invoking the name of Napoleon in 
order to influence their conduct. 

It is naturally to be supposed, that he would still k; j ep on 
the best terms with the French officer, whom he. treated, in 



350 



APPENDIX. 



private, with every civility ; and in order that he might shel- 
ter him from the insults of the multitude, who began to be 
disgusted at transactions which they could not comprehend, 
as well as that the real nature of his intentions might not 
transpire, he persuaded this officer to go to Monte- Video, 
where he might expect an early opportunity of returning to 
France, the brig that brought him having been run aground to 
avoid an English frigate which was in chase of her. In the 
course of a process afterwards instituted respecting the flight 
attempted by this individual, an official letter has been pub- 
lished, from Liniers to the governor of Monte- Video, in 
which he enjoins that the greatest respect and attention be 
paid to the person of the emissary, as charged with matters 
of the greatest importance to the interests of the nation, and 
orders that every facility may be afforded him for a speedy 
return to Europe. 

The governor of Monte- Yideo, at this period, was Don 
Xavier Elio, the same man who was there, until lately, under 
the title of Viceroy, conferred on him by the Junta of Cadiz, 
He had very powerful motives for disapproving the conduct 
of the chief, who was now beginning to get into notice. Not 
a word had been said on the oath of allegiance to Ferdinand 
VII., and the steps which the government took were so in- 
direct, that very little penetration was necessary to discover 
reasons for doubting the sincerity of their intentions. Don 
Xavier Elio rebelled from the submission due to the authori- 
ty of the Viceroy, and forming a Junta at Monte- Video, in 
imitation of several provincial Juntas which were already 
known to have been constituted in Spain, declared that he 
would obey no ordinances emanating from the capital of the 
province, which he considered to be oppressed under the com- 
mand of a traitorous chief. Thus a pernicious lesson was in- 
considerately given, by which the people did not fail to pro- 
fit ; and whatever attempts may be made to exculpate the re- 
fractory proceedings of a subaltern governor, who would in 
no degree have endangered the cause of his nation by acting 
prudently, and might at all events have adopted measures of 
moderate precaution, it cannot be denied that this scandalous 
example of insubordination must have cost dear to its insti- 
gators. An expedition of troops was sent by the Viceroy 
against Monte-Video, and thus, for the first time since the 
days of Pizarro, a civil war broke out in the Spanish Ame- 
ricas. 

Meanwhile, Liniers was extending the scope of his ambi- 
tious views, and in proportion as the accusations against him 
multiplied, he saw the necessity of proceeding more openly 



APPENDIX. 



35 i 



in the execution of his plans. His first object was to gain a 
formidable party in the country who might second his mea- 
sures, and he began, by raising to the rank of officers, the 
most abandoned members of society, and others whose want 
of honour assured him that they would act whatever part he 
assigned them. The invasions of the English had required 
an augmentation of the troops, beyond the means of the co- 
lonial treasury to maintain ; but far from reducing the supple- 
mentary force, as might have been expected when the urgen- 
cy of the occasion which called it forth had subsided, he dai- 
lv augmented it, by creating new regiments, one of which he 
distinguished by the name of the Grenadiers of Liniers, and 
reserved it as his body-guard. The administration of justice, 
which by an absurd provision in the constitution of the colo- 
nies is vested in the Viceroys, was subjected entirely to his 
favourite project ; despotic as have been all the chiefs sent 
by the court of Spain to these territories, Liniers exceeded 
them all by his iniquitous proceedings in gaining partisans. 
These disorders, and the multiplied grievances of the public, 
at length produced a great number of malcontents in Buenos 
Ayres itself, and the authority of the Viceroy was combated 
not onlv in Monte-Video, but also at home. 

In this interval, arrived from Spain, Don Joseph Manuel 
de Goyeneche, who had been appointed brigadier by the 
Provisional Junta of Seville, anterior to the formation of the 
Central Junta, and was sent as their Commissioner to pro- 
mote unity and conformity of sentiment between the colonies 
and the metropolis. This man, whom America will ever 
blush to number among her sons, is a native of Arequipa, 
and a member of a rich family, in whose commercial con- 
cerns he had gone, some years before, to the Peninsula, 
where having dissipated the money intrusted to him by his 
father, he assumed the uniform of a captain of militia, and 
became one of the numerous class of loungers in Madrid. 
At the entrance of the French into that city, he obtained from 
Murat, a commission to go to America to support the French 
cause; but on his journey into Andalusia, he changed his 
mind, and obtained from the government of that province, 
the charge of Royal Commissioner for South America. On 
his arrival, he thought of nothing but making his fortune; 
and, adhering to the interests of those who had raised him 
to the rank of brigadier, recommended, that at all events 
the colonies should preserve their union with the provinces 
of Spain, which had now begun to raise their voice against 
France. In Monte- Video, he professed his assent to the 
views of its Majesty the Provincial Junta just then establish- 



352 APPENDIX. 

ed, and stated, that his commission directed him to form 
others in all the cities of that continent. On his arrival at 
Buenos Ayres, and at his first conference with Liniers and 
the magistrates, he entirely changed his language, and de- 
clared, that the Monte- Videans deserved to be called refrac- 
tory, for having constituted themselves in a manner not at all 
legitimate or proper in America. By this concession, howe- 
ver, he was enabled to procure a solemn adjuration of the 
capital to Ferdinand VII., which ceremony had been hither- 
to postponed, as well as a recognition of the Junta of Seville, 
as the legal representative and depository of the powers of 
the sovereign. 

The commissioner assumed as many characters as the 
scene required. Seeing that the opponents of the Adminis- 
tration were headed by men respectable for their wealth and 
reputation, he was unwilling to leave means untried to con- 
ciliate them ; and he therefore insinuated, that the precedent 
of Monte-\ ideo was proper to be followed. The Cabildo, 
which was the centre of opposition to Liniers, gave the sig- 
nal for an insurrection on the 1st of January 1809, by form- 
ing a popular commotion in favour of the establishment of a 
Junta ; but this movement had only the effect of causing the 
banishment of its leaders, who were overpowered by the 
troops in the interest of the Viceroy, and by the preponde- 
rance of the magistrates, who were afraid of losing their 
posts. 

It is worthy of note, that this conspiracy was entirely the 
work of European Spaniards, all the Creoles siding with the 
party in power; and that the spirit of the latter was even so 
much averse from any proceeding repugnant to their scrupu- 
lous fidelity to the mother-country, that they rejected all the 
suggestions used by the metropolitans to incite them to this 
act of rebellion, which failed because they refused to co-ope- 
rate. But although these seditious tumults were ineffectual, 
they brought to light a truth, which has proved very bitter to 
the Old Spaniards, namely, that the real strength of the coun- 
try existed in the natives. At the same time, there arose be- 
tween them a spirit of hatred and enmity so violent, as to be 
irreconcileable. The Viceroy, who ow T ed his safety to the 
bayonets of the native troops, took care to flatter their patri- 
otism, by congratulating them on their acknowledged superi- 
ority over their enemies ; thus following the maxim of divi- 
ding- in order to ride 9 he added fuel to a fire which had been 
already kindled to an inextinguishable degree. 

While the Europeans of the colony, by their imprudent 
measures, were daily giving fresh motives tor disgust to the 



APPENDIX. 



333 



natives, and temptations to devise means for eternally avoid- 
ing them, the metropolis was not more cautious in managing; 
the intricate interests of the colonies, and in preventing thai 
frequent collision which was detrimental to her own. The 
Central Junta was recognized and sworn to in Buenos Ayres 
with general enthusiasm ; and the first act in which that bo- 
dy manifested its sovereignty, was the mission of a new Vice- 
roy in lieu of Liniers, who was to be sent under arrest to 
Spain. The dispute between the Creoles and the Europeans 
was decided entirely in favour of the latter ; the prisons in 
which the insurgents had been seven months confined, were 
opened ; and, in order that no doubt should remain as to the 
spirit of the decisions of the mother-country, Elio was raised 
to an employ, which gave him immediate authority over the 
troops. Nevertheless, the natives manifested a fresh proof of 
their ready deference to the will of their Trans- Atlantic lords, 
and admitted, without repugnance, the Viceroy Cisneros, who 
arrived among them in the beginning of the month of August 
1809; but they resisted the promotion of Elio to the office 
of Inspector-general; and the commandants of the different 
corps employed their influence to procure a relaxation of the 
orders respecting the transportation of Liniers, which was 
conceded, and he was allowed to go and reside at Cordova. 
There this man of enterprize might have leisure to lament 
his surprise, for it is impossible to ascribe to other reasons 
his readiness to give up the command to his successor. It 
will, in the sequel, appear, that he left this quiet asylum, for 
which he was indebted to the love of the Creoles, for the 
purpose of fighting against them. 

The posture of affairs, when Don Baltasar Hedalgo de 
Cisneros took the command, was by no means flattering ; on 
the contrary, it presented the greatest difficulties that ever 
occurred since the conquest. The people began to abandon 
their habitual adoration of a government which was ever va- 
rying its form : their former sacrifices, and their bold de- 
fence, had been passed over without reward ; they were la- 
den with fresh grievances in various ways, and they were in 
a condition to avenge themselves. The coming of the chief 
calmed, for a short time, the heat of the parties, which had 
been excited by the former government : this, however, was 
but an apparent tranquillity, by which the ineptitude of Cis- 
neros could not profit ; it was like the extraordinary calm 
preceding a tempest, which a skilful pilot can reason from, 
but from which the ignorant can anticipate nothing. The 
public discontent was augmented by the exhausted state of 
r he. treasury, which called for some economical reforms in 



APPENDIX. 



the military establishment ; a measure which could not fail 
of producing uneasiness. Embarrassed in so many various 
ways, the Viceroy asked the advice of men capable of inform- 
ing him ; one of them* who, by his talents, his activity, and 
his patriotism, will occupy a distinguished place in the his- 
tory of America, made the most eloquent and energetic re- 
presentations in favour of a free trade with England, as the 
surest means of restoring happiness to the country, and of 
improving its finances. 

The earnest complaints of the European Spaniards, exag- 
gerated to such a degree as to represent the colony on the 
eve of a general revolt, had caused an unreasonable alarm to 
the central government, and had excited so much prejudice 
against the natives, that the most rigorous and extravagant 
instructions were given to the chief who came to restore or- 
der. It is not possible to conceive more harshness, more ar- 
bitrary conduct, or more injustice, than what was displayed 
under that system of the nation which was denominated po- 
pular. The Viceroy, in conformity to his instructions, be- 
gan to apprehend all the individuals who were accounted 
suspicious, and they were sent, without any form of trial, or 
the slightest public allegations, to the peninsula, where their 
common fate was, either imprisonment, or service in the 
ranks of the armies. Foreigners were persecuted in an equal 
degree, although many of them claimed protection on the 
ground of their former public services, or on that of having 
married and settled in the territory a considerable time pre- 
vious. 

The natural result of all this was, that the authority of the 
Viceroy was overthrown at the first shock. The 19th of 
May 1810, was the day which put to the proof that old 
system which had rendered itself so odious : very dismal ac- 
counts had been received of the state of the mother- country, 
and principally of the Andalusias, the provinces that had 
made most stir in America : Cadiz was said to have sur- 
rendered, and the Central Junta dispersed, not only with 
ignominy, but under suspicions of treason. In this conjunc- 
ture, the Viceroy knew not what road to take ; and his per- 
plexity was manifested to the people by a proclamation, in 
which he expressed his concern respecting the precarious 



* Dr. Mariano Mareno, whose decease, in the prime of life, while on a voy* 
age to England as envoy from the Junta of Buenos Ay res, deprived his coun- 
try of one of its brightest ornaments . His abilities, as an orator and a states- 
man, justly gained him the appellation of the Burke of South America. 



APPENDIX. 



355 



state of the peninsula, and, far from quieting their apprehen- 
sions, gave the most evident proofs of his own doubts and 
dejection. The Cabildo saw the necessity of immediately 
assembling to deliberate on the measures to be taken for 
preventing the multitude from forming a party of themselves 
to seize the government, for the continuation of which, as 
the fountain of authority was stopped, the men who held it 
could establish no claim. It is evident that, according to 
every principle of right, the magistrates could no longer ex- 
ercise their functions, and that, the Central Junta being dis- 
solved, Cisneros had no more title to the supreme adminis- 
tration of these provinces than the meanest citizen of Buenos 
Ayres. So far was this ferment from originating in any 
desire of independence which might be supposed to exist 
among the natives, that not a thing was done without the as- 
sent and concurrence of the chief, wiih whom all the indivi- 
duals of the Cabildo, the majority of whom were European 
Spaniards, consulted, and, in conformity with him, convoked 
a congress on the 22d of the same month, at which the prin- 
cipal inhabitants assisted, in compliance with a citation made 
to that effect. 

To the proceedings of this day, the Provisional Junta of 
Government now reigning in those provinces owes its origin : 
it was installed legitimately, and under the best auspices, for 
restoring tranquillity to the people, and for withdrawing them 
from that dangerous state into which they might at every step 
be thrown by the vicissitudes of the metropolis. Not a single 
instance of violence can be found to have taken place during 
that momentous crisis; and the magistrates, under the old 
system, have had no reason to complain of any vexation, ex- 
cept that of being supplanted in their authority. Shortly after- 
wards, however, a great conspiracy was disclosed that threat- 
ened to destroy a proceeding which the agents of despotism 
and corruption could not bring themselves to sanction. The 
passions of the functionaries from the metropolis began to 
take effect ; these men could not easily condescend to regard 
as free men, those who had heretofore been slaves. Monte 
Video was the first town which refused to conform to the esta- 
blished alterations ; and, notwithstanding that the first negocia- 
tions which were opened for securing the conformity of that 
people with the system of the capital, took effect for some 
time, yet on the arrival of a post at a subsequent period, an- 
nouncing the installation of a Council of Regency, was suffi- 
cient to induce them to condemn the project, and even to in- 
sist that the restoration of the Viceroy was the only means of 
avoiding a rupture. 



356 



APPENDIX 



The Government of Buenos Ayres, who knew nothing oi 
the Council of Regency but by report, not having received 
official dispatches to accredit its existence, and to justify its 
assumption of the rights of sovereignty, refused to acknow- 
ledge it under the pretext of these informalities ; or, at least, 
deferred doing so, until they could satisfactorily examine 
the title by which that Council had placed itself at the head 
of the nation, after supplanting the Central Junta. And, 
indeed, if we are to regard the matter with the circumspec- 
tion it merits, this reserve on the part of the New Govern- 
ment cannot be blamed ; nor is it strange, that, after having 
admitted two reigns in the course of two years, they should 
rather hesitate at receiving a third, for otherwise there might 
have been danger, that, after blindly submitting, first to one 
and then to another, they would be driven at length to ac- 
knowledge the claims of Joseph Bonaparte. 

On the side of Peru, the innovators beheld no clearer a 
prospect; Liniers had headed the opposition which was to 
destroy their projects ; but of all the forces that could be 
collected in the interior provinces, only two small armies 
were formed, one under the command of that chief, and ano- 
ther in Potosi, under the orders of Marshal Nieto. Both 
were completely beaten by a military force which the Junta 
of Buenos Ayres dispatched against them, and the leaders 
in this disgraceful contest forfeited their lives for their rash 
enterprise. Liniers, Concha, Allende, Rodriguez, and Mo- 
reno, were executed in the vicinity of Cordova, pursuant to 
a formal sentence awarded against them as conspirators ; and 
Nieto, Sanz, and Josef de Cordeva, were put to death in the 
principal square of Potosi, with the public solemnity usual in 
such cases. 

To the north, the province of Paraguay had adopted the 
example of Monte -Video, and had also united with the op- 
position, through the advice of Velasco the governor : a force 
of five hundred men, under General Belgrano, was sent by 
the Junta in the month of October, 1810; but this interfe- 
rence was of little efficacy, and the inhabitants persisted, with- 
out adhering to the new system, until the intrigues and im- 
prudent measures of their own chiefs obliged them to change 
their sentiments. The Paraguayans seized Velasco, and sent 
him as a present to the people of Buenos Ayres, in order 
to regain their friendship. 

I am too much alive to the disasters of humanity, to en- 
ter into the details of the civil war and its attendant calami- 
ties, which continue to afflict these unhappy provinces ; and it 
is horrible to reflect that, while in Europe, the blood of men 



APPENDIX, 



357 



continues to be shed in torrents, America presents the sad 
spectacle of intestine divisions, in which her citizens are de- 
stioving each other through a difference of opinion concern- 
ing their own rights. The peninsula of Spain is strewn with 
the bodies of her sons, who have sworn to die in avenging 
the wrongs of their King, and in defending their liberty : 
these colonies, from one extremity to the other, are burning 
with the most violent ardour, and are disputing among them- 
selves on the great question, Who is the representative of 
Ferdinand ; and what are the prerogatives which belong to 
them, as part of the state ? There, the French are the agents 
of injustice and desolation; here despotism, selfishness, and 
ignorance, are tending to the same ends. Spaniards, if you 
wish that Providence should favour the issue of your con- 
test with the Oppressor of Europe ; if you wish that the world 
should deem you capable of vindicating your rights, and se- 
curing them, go not to the inoffensive plains of the Rio de la 
Plata to maintain that oppression which in your own country 
vou detest ; pledge not yourselves that the arbitrary power 
and the tyranny of your kings, which you yourselves ac- 
knowledge, shall prevail eternally in America ; employ not 
your strength in perpetuating those barbarous laws which 
were dictated in the ages of darkness and violence. As yours 
were the arms which gave to the crown of Spain these im- 
mense possessions, let not their inhabitants have to reproach 
you a second time with having enslaved them. And you, 
Americans, contemplate the history of nations, and thence 
learn how ye ought to conduct yourselves in the perilous cri- 
sis in which ye stand. Look on those men, whom difference 
of opinion has caused you to regard as enemies ; they are 
your own brethren, the loss of whom would be sensibly felt 
in agriculture, in arts, in your domestic economy : avoid 
shedding blood, which has already begun to stain the pages 
of your history. I do not exhort you to rebellion, but to be 
firm and wise in the assertion and establishment of your 
rights. 

(B.) Page 110. 

Before I took leave of Brazil, I was desirous of submit- 
ting to His Royal Highness some observations relative to his 
farm of Santa Cruz, in furtherance of the project I had the 
honour to propose to His Excellency the Conde de Linhares,* 



* It is to be observed, that by the laws of Portugal, no person can address 
a letter or memorial of any kind to the Sovereign : all representations must 
be made through the ministers. 



358 



APPENDIX. 



eighteen months before, for the better management of that fine 
tract of land. These observations, of which I here present 
to the reader an abstract, relate to two objects ; first, to the 
means of rendering the farm a model of agricultural improve- 
ment for the planters of Brazil, and next, to the improvements 
by which its lands from their superior quality and their conve- 
nient situation might serve, in part, to supply Rio de Janeiro 
with its productions, and might sustain a great number of ex- 
cellent cattle to be fattened for the consumption of that city. 
I anticipated the fate of these observations before I wrote 
them ; for practice is widely different from theory, particularly 
to those who were never for a moment engaged in considering 
such subjects, and are certainly incapable of comprehending 
them. To teach men modern agriculture, who have only 
lived to study dress and parade, would be an useless task ; 
for when principals are totally ignorant of what they under- 
take or superintend, they will have neither the power nor the 
inclination to maintain it in credit, much less, bring it to per- 
fection. 

Thus it is with Santa Cruz, the grounds of which are super- 
latively better than any I ever saw in Brazil, and highly cal- 
culated for experimental and general agriculture, having 
plains, hills, rivers, rivulets, and varieties of soil and climate. 

Inclosures for the cattle, to a considerable extent, should 
be the first object of attention. Next, a quantity of land, not 
less than 800 or 1000 acres in situations subject to irrigation, 
should be sown with artificial grasses, particularly those most 
congenial to it ; if this land were well managed, its produce 
might be cut at least four times a year. A peculiar mode of 
planting and of management would be necessary ; here the 
plough should be employed instead of the hoe, and other 
methods resulting from sound practice should be resorted to. 
As this would be a principal object, and would well reward 
the labour it occasioned, every possible attention should be 
paid to it. Santa Cruz possesses inexhaustible strata of 
shell-lime, and various manures in abundance. 

The quantity of land before-mentioned being inclosed and 
planted, the next object should be to select a proper number 
of young cows for milking, which might be augmented in 
proportion as more land was brought under artificial grass ; 
five or six hundred would be sufficient for the commence- 
ment. The management of them would, I am aware, require 
more than common attention, and in a concern on so great a 
scale, some mistakes and disappointments must necessarily 
occur. Their breed should be an object of peculiar care, and 
the best of both species should be introduced ; the pasture of 



APPENDIX. 



359 



the cows should be free from young cattle, horses or mules ; 
they should be treated with care and tenderness, and live in 
the strictest quiet. 

The meadows inclosed for their pasture would be very in- 
sufficient in time of scarcity (the dry season,) therefore the 
corrals or places for milking the cows should be well suppli- 
ed with grass, and to these places they would soon be accus- 
tomed to come, to be milked and fed. But such practice 
will appear ridiculous to the present managers, who think it 
is right that cows could be kept fourteen hours in a pen with- 
out food before they are milked, which is certainly analogous 
to the idea of starving them to make them fat. 

It is imposible to calculate the quantity of milk, butter, 
or cheese, which might be obtained from five or six hundred 
cows, as that would depend on many local circumstances, 
and a variety of experiments would be required, to arrive at 
any degree of accuracy ; but suppose the above number to 
give only 600lb. of butter per week ; in England they would 
give more than double that quantity ; and here it is impos- 
sible to calculate what the difference would be in a quantity 
of cows fed on artificial grasses,' accustomed to be regularly 
milked, and treated in a manner so superior to that now 
practised. The augmentation produced would exceed any 
statement I durst give j for in various parts of Brazil, I have 
known cows even under miserable treatment yield from two 
to three gallons, and instances of this kind are not uncom- 
mon in the season of abundance. In England, a cow in the 
vicinity of the metropolis may be estimated to leave a profit 
of 101. per annum ; in various parts of the country from 71. 
to 10l., according to the locality. Here, although land and 
cattle are dear, yet we find this produce cheaper than in any 
part of Brazil. At Rio de Janeiro, good salt butter is worth 
from 3s. 6d. to 4s. per lb. ; and I have even known it to sell 
at nearly double that price ; therefore, it is fair to suppose, 
that good fresh butter would sell for at least as much. Thus 
in Brazil, land and cows are of little value, and their produce 
is extravagantly dear. Is their milk not so good as that of 
any country in Europe ? Equally so. Does it not yield as 
much cream ? As much and as good as I ever witnessed 
any where. Then is the heat of the climate an obstacle I 
None, certainly, if proper conveniences were made. The 
winter in England is much more unfavourable for dairy 
operations than the hot weather in Santa Cruz. Then it 
may be said, they give but little milk : — it is impossible that 
they should give more under such treatment. But to make 
this an object of profit, an entirely contrary system must be 



360 



APPENDIX, 



adopted, founded on rational principles and pursued with in 
dustry, and not the offspring of ignorance, idleness and folly. 
Females ought alone to be employed in every thing relative 
to the dairy and milking ; at present, that and other opera- 
tions are performed by the most useful men on the estate* 
If good roads were made, and a proper number of carts and 
draught cattle were provided, comparatively few men would 
be required to till the land, keep it in cultivation, take care 
of the cows, feed oxen, &c. 

The next object would be a proper building for a dairy, 
replete with all the requisite utensils and conveniences,* and 
under the superintendance of a person conversant with the 
business, whether in the form of a Commendador or a rnili- 
tary officer it is of little importance. If he know his duty, 
he ought to be without control, and depend upon his credit 
in whatever relates to it ; if he be ignorant of his duty, why 
place him there ? A courtier has very different views and 
habits to a farmer, and no one would ever think of entrust- 
ing the management of a farm to such a person. 

I did not introduce the making of cheese at Santa Cruz 
for reasons best known to myself. This branch of rural 
seconomy, and that before mentioned, are objects of impor- 
tance, if profit alone be considered ; but they are still more 
so, as tending to give an example to the whole empire. How 
worthy it would be of the greatness of the Sovereign to make 
his farm the school from which his subjects might learn new 
modes of agriculture, the place to which intelligent strangers 
from all countries would be encouraged to resort, and to 
contribute useful information. Communications might be 
opened with the Cape, Ceylon, India, and other parts of the 
world, from which the greatest benefits would result to the 
subjects as well as to the state. 

The next object is the fattening of cattle for Rio de Jane- 
iro, a place where good meat can scarcely be said to be 
known. Oxen of a certain age should be brought from the in- 
terior, and tied up in proper feeding-houses, as they would 
be liable, if turned loose, to get into the marshes and be lost. 
Two or three hundred would be sufficient to begin with : 
they might cost, when brought to Santa Cruz, four or five 
milreis each, and would be fattened in three or four months, 
when they would sell for eleven or twelve milreis each, more 



* For this purpose a central situation should be chosen, where cellars 
could be formed of sufficient capacity, and every practicable means used to 
obtain a circulation of air, and as much as possible to exclude heat. 



APPENDIX, 



or less. They would require artificial food most convenient 
to the soil and climate, and quantity of land under the best 
cultivation, to maintain them. Nay, I think the feeding 
might be extended, so as to sell two or three hundred month- 
ly. It must be understood, that a variety of sheds for feed- 
ing-houses are indispensable. A farm (like Santa Cruz) 
without conveniences is a mere waste of land ; for store- 
houses, and appropriate buildings of every description? are 
equally necessary as a dwelling-house. In the poor hovels 
occupied by the worthy tenants of Santa Cruz, not the least 
attention has been paid to the erection of barns or other out- 
houses, for produce of every description; indeed, 1 again 
repeat that they are miserable dwellings, hateful to those^who 
occupy them for want of comfort. If, by way of contrast, 
two neat farm-houses were to be built with every conveni- 
ence, after the most approved English plans, having certain 
portions of land allotted to them, with good roads, and wa- 
ter brought if necessary, for the purpose of irrigation, they 
would be perfectly adequate to pay a rent equal to the in- 
terest of money laid out upon them ; and it is probable the 
experiment would be attended with the happiest consequen- 
ces. Then would His Royal Highness soon find his rich 
lands adorned with beautiful villas, and the road from thence 
to Rio de Janeiro would be covered with vehicles conduct- 
ing their produce to that market. But liberality so different 
from the present narrow principles which direct the manage- 
ment of that estate, cannot be expected from those who strive 
all in their power to oppress the tenants instead of encourag- 
ing them. These unhappy men, wearied by such grievances, 
and seeing no prospect of amelioration, are daily leaving the 
estate under the conviction that no change can be for the 
worst ; and there is reason to fear that His Royal Highness 
will soon find his farm a desert. The probable result will 
be, that he will be persuaded to consent to part with it ; and 
the same disingenuous practices will take place, which wrest- 
ed from the Viceroy the only two sugar-mills on the estate. 
This hint may possibly be given too late ; for I have reason 
to suppose, that the fate of Santa Cruz was decided before I 
left the country. If it is not too late, it may serve to frustrate 
the views of those who have ever coveted this princely do- 
main. 

Among the first objects of experimental agriculture, I may 
mention the growth of hemp, for which some parts of the 
rich plains of Santa Cruz are so well calculated. This plant 
is indigenous to hot climates, and, in cold countries is pro- 
duced only during the hot season. Some which I sowed in 

Z z 



362 



APPENDIX, 



my garden gave the most flattering appearances, and, in six 
weeks after being sown, was eighteen inches high ; but it was 
capriciously ordered to be cut down on my leaving the estate* 
As an excellent substitute for this plant, I may mention the 
aloe, which grows spontaneously in great luxuriance, and 
makes very good fences. From its fibres I made some twine, 
which I am persuaded might have been manufactured into 
strong and durable canvas. 

There is a great extent of low land, for the greater part of 
the year a continued bog, in which many weak cattle are 
daily suffocated ; but, under the management of a skilful 
drainer, it might produce an abundance of fine grass. The 
large plains, so favourable to the growth of rice, are unculti- 
vated ; nor is one piece of machinery employed to take the 
rusk from that grain, to clean coffee, or to prepare mandioca. 
A multitude of persons are employed in these operations, 
which are extremely ill conducted, and are subject to every 
species of peculation. 

The rising grounds or hills present large tracts fit for the 
growth of coffee, cotton, mandioca, and other produce. I 
have not touched upon sugar, because, at present, Santa 
Cruz has no mills ; the best lands for the growth of that ar- 
ticle were sold, together with the mills, some years ago. One 
of these, situated on a river called Taguai, is at least equal, 
if not superior, to any, in the whole extent of America. It 
was built by an able engineer on the most scientific principles, 
and has two sets of rollers and two ranges of boilers. The 
rollers are worked by one simple upright shaft moved by a 
horizontal water-wheel. It is a most capacious building, not 
less than seventy yards long by about twenty-five wide, with 
a distil-house and proper drying-houses at the farther end. 
This establishment, and the lands annexed to it, if worked to 
their extent, are capable of producing more than a thousand 
tons annually. 

The indigo of this country, as I have before observed, is 
not good ; probably a better kind might be procured from 
seed brought from India ; and no place could be found so 
favourable for the experiment as the royal farm. A large 
field is here open for the introduction of cochineal, opium, 
tobacco, &c. which might be effected without expence, and 
would probably yield some profit. 

The excellent strata of lime which are found on the estate, 
might be worked to great advantage, not only for the purpo- 
ses of agriculture, but for building ; and large quantities of it 
might be sent to Rio de Janeiro. The brick-yard and tan- 
nery, if well conducted, would yield considerable profit. 



APPENDIX. 



363 



At Santa Cruz, where it might be expected that superior 
management would be found, there is hardly a single depart- 
ment which would not be better conducted if left to the care 
of the negroes themselves. No provision is made in the time 
of abundance to meet the season of scarcity. Every thing is 
done without foresight ; and so great is the neglect, that when 
His Royal Highness pays a visit to the farm, two or three 
hundred negroes are employed in cutting grass for the twenty 
or thirty mules of His Royal Highness's equipage. This calls 
aloud for some mode of culture to prevent so grievous a mis- 
application of useful labour. 

I may here touch upon another point of no less importance 
than the management of the whole concern. It is difficult to 
conceive, why whatever relates to His Royal Highness, should 
be conducted without profit, and with the most miserable 
meanness. The goodness of the Prince is acknowledged by 
all his subjects, and his desire to promote human happiness is 
equalled only by his greatness of mind. Yet among those 
who manage his private concerns, there is an inaction and a 
tyrannical narrowness without example. This establishment, 
which ought to be governed as private property, supports a 
train of intendants, majors, administrators, alms-sheriffs, se- 
cretaries, clerks, Serjeants, corporals, soldiers, and messengers 
without number, who give it more the appearance of one of 
the old German principalities, than of a rural farm. With all 
this ostentation, there is not even a shadow of that liberality 
which should attend it. The good tenant who comes leagues 
to pay his rent, wet and fatigued, is never invited to take any 
refreshment ; to the weary traveller no door is open ; neither 
for love nor money can he procure a hospitable shed, and he 
is obliged to seek some cottage or vend that will administer 
to his necessities. In fact, through the conduct of His Ma- 
jesty's servants, the misery of Santa Cruz has become pro- 
verbial, and, like a haunted house, it is detested and avoided 
by all who know it. 

Such is the present state of the royal farm, and such the 
conduct of those who are appointed to manage it ; and, al- 
though an Englishman of talents, as I am informed, has been 
placed there, yet I venture to predict that he will leave it in 
disgust, and will prefer to live in any remote part, rather than 
submit to the vexations to which he will there be exposed. 

APPENDIX, (C.) 

In page 260 of this work, I have stated, that it was my in- 
tention to^enquire into, and to make some observations on the 



364 



APPENDIX. 



present regulations relative to diamonds. These beautiful 
gems have been found in such abundance in Brazil, as to 
supply not only Europe, but Asia; as -those of India were 
scarce, and frequently withheld from sale, diamonds from 
Brazil were sent thither, and usurped their name. The ques- 
tion we are at present about to examine is, how far it would 
be consistent with the interest of the Portugueze Government, 
to permit the searching for diamonds, in the same way as for 
gold, under peculiar laws. The monopoly is ineffectual, be- 
cause the diamonds are found in so many parts widely distant 
from each other, that it is impossible to prevent the search- 
ing for them clandestinely. The attempt to preserve grounds 
known to contain these gems, by forming a distacamento, has 
never produced any good effect ; and it is by no means im- 
probable, that the best of these (supposed) preserved lands 
are already worked, therefore the soldiers are guarding the 
chest after the treasure has been taken away. How many 
places might be mentioned out of the district of Cerro do 
Frio, where troops of negroes daily work ! It has been stated, 
that Government probably receive little more than a moiety 
of the gems found at their expence ; if so, it is certainly time 
to abandon so bad a trade, or change the system altogether. 
Is it the interest of Brazil to keep her sons in continual tor- 
ture and fear respecting these precious gifts, which the boun- 
teous hand of Providenee has placed there ? But this mono- 
poly is in a fair way to destroy itself, and must, of course, 
soon give way from necessity, for there are not at this mo- 
ment purchasers for the treasury diamonds ; they may remain 
year after year, until the interest outvalues the capital. How 
happens it, that diamonds, in the hands of individuals, meet 
a ready sale ? First, Because the)^ are better stones, and are 
offered in quantities more convenient for the purchasers : 
Secondly, They are frequently bought at a less price than that 
paki by Government for those procured from their own esta- 
blishments. If they were subject to pay a fifth, Government 
would have such power as to enable them to command the 
market ; and if they should become cheaper in Europe, the 
demand for them would become more general, therefore their 
price would not be likely to fall in Brazil ; and, even if it did, 
is it not the blindest policy for the court to put such a yoke 
round the neck of her excellent subjects, who venture their 
lives in trackless deserts searching for mines, and exposing 
themselves to every danger ? Would it have been possible for 
Portugal to colonize Brazil if there had been no gold mines 
to attract adventurers ? To deny men the treasures with which 
nature has enriched the country, is to oppose one great check 



APPENDIX. 365 

to its population ; for the example of one adventurer becom- 
ing rich, would be the means of inducing hundreds to follow 
him. Under the present system, there is so great a struggle 
between the temptation of becoming suddenly rich, and the 
fear of being ruined by detection, that when a man finds a 
diamond by accident, he knows not whether to appropriate it, 
or to surrender it to the Government ; even in the latter case, 
he has little prospect of reward, and runs the risk of being 
accused as a smuggler. Instances have been known of men 
who have thrown away the diamonds they have accidentally 
found,* rather than involve themselves in ruin, either by keep- 
ing them, or delivering them to Government. 

It has before been shewn, that Government are the greatest 
gainers by the diamonds which are sold clandestinely ; and if 
individuals were allowed to trade in them, the state would 
undoubtedly be benefited by it. For it is certain, that a Bra- 
zilian farmer or miner would prefer necessaries, such as iron 
utensils, clothing, &c. which add to his comforts and conve- 
niences of life, to articles of ideal value, which in reality have 
come into his hands probably without difficulty or expence. 
Thus the peasantry would draw valuable produce from other 
countries in exchange for what cost them comparatively no- 
thing, and, by enriching themselves, would augment the re- 
venues of the state. 

If the diamonds were made liable to pay a fifth, either in 
kind or in value, it is probable that there would be less smug- 
gling ; and that practice might be still more restrained, by 
something like the following regulation : every person finding- 
diamonds should be obliged to register them ; also, to take 
out a certificate authorising him to dispose of them in what- 
ever manner he thinks proper. It would certainly add to 
their importance, to make them subject to a small duty,f on 
being lawfully transferred from the buyer to the seller, by 
which means they would come into immediate circulation 
and represent real property : thus, after yielding a profit to 
each person through whose hands they passed, they would 
finally be exported ; and, as long as diamonds continued an 
article of distinction, ornament, and elegance, Brazil would 
lay under tribute every court in the civilized world. 



* Formerly, if any diamonds were found in a gold-washing, the owner was 
obliged to desist from working it, and the ground was appropriated by go- 
vernment This law is now no longer in force. 

f It is reasonable to suppose, that few persons would hazard the penalty 
incurred by dealing in diamonds clandestinely, when, by paying a duty, they 
could bring them fairly into circulation. 



366 



APPENDIX. 



The Dutch were artful enough to poison the ears of the 
ministers of Portugal against the proposal of making dia- 
monds a free trade, and assisted in the persecutions against 
those unfortunate sufferers who were detected in possessing 
them ; but surely that narrow-minded and self-interested po- 
licy is now done away with ; nor would it be credited in 
modern history, that the Government of Brazil, for a trivial, 
pecuniary profit, should be the dupes of their own bank and 
a few interested strangers. 

Branches of the Revenue* 

The following is a statement of the various branches of the 
revenue of Brazil, which is perhaps unequalled by that of any 
other country consisting of the same population : — 

1. A fifth upon all the gold obtained in any and every part 
of Brazil. 

2. A duty of fifteen per cent, upon all merchandize entered 
at the Custom-house and imported, except what is imported 
in Portuguese ships, which pays something less. 

3. A small tax upon exports. 

4. Tythes, or ten per cent, upon the productions of the 
land. This branch of revenue yields a large income to the 
state, to which it has belonged since the first settlement of 
the colony, when the reigning Sovereign, by contract with 
his Holiness, agreed to pay the salaries of the clergy, in order 
to induce them to go to that remote and uncivilized country. 
It is also claimed by the state in virtue of the order of Christ, 
of which the monarchs of Portugal are grand-masters. It is 
portioned into distinct districts, each of which is either 
contracted for, or put up at auction separately in the treasury 
under such arrangements as to be allotted to those who have 
most interest. The several renters collect it by ascertaining 
the number of negroes upon every estate, or possessed by 
every house-keeper, and agree to receive a certain rate per 
head instead of taking it in kind. The amount for which 
the various tythes are sold it is not easy to calculate, but it 
must be very considerable. I am almost certain that the 
tythes of Mio Grande alone were sold for ten thousand pounds 
per annum for three years.^ In Bahia, and other places, 
where sugar and cotton are taken in tythe, the amount must 
be enormous. The contractors derive great emoluments from 



* This revenue arises from hides, which are subject to this duty. 



APPENDIX, 



367 



these imposts ; in one of the smallest districts, Canta Gallo, 
the population of which is less than any other in proportion 
to its extent, the profits were calculated to yield above 6001. 
per annum. 

5. Indulgences, which are disposed of under the same re- 
gulations as the tythes, the contractor of the district appoint- 
ing agents in every parish to sell them for him. 

6. A duty upon every thing that enters the mining dis- 
trict, which is paid on passing the register of Matthias Bar- 
bosa, or on crossing the Paraibuna. This tax is about six 
shillings the arroba, or somewhat more than twopence per lb. 
for all commodities indiscriminately. New negroes pay ten 
milreis each. Oxen going to Rio de Janeiro pay two milreis 
per head. 

A considerable sum arises from the tolls paid on passing the 
various rivers. Two milreis for each mule, unless with cargo. 

A new tax of five reis per lb. has been imposed on all 
butcher's meat sold in the principal towns. 

Spirituous liquors transported to Rio de Janeiro pay ten 
dollars per pipe. 

A new tax has been laid upon the rents of houses, which 
is levied very favourably. 

The gold dust that was permitted to circulate in the mines 
has been called in, and paper-money peculiar to the district 
has been issued, to the amount of a hundred thousand pounds 
sterling. 

A considerable sum has been produced by the stamping of 
dollars, which were received at seven hundred and fifty reis, 
and re-issued, after being stamped, at nine hundred. 

View of the State of Society among' the Middling Classes, em- 
ployed in Mining and Agriculture. 

We are naturally led to imagine, that, in a country where 
mines of gold and diamonds are found, the riches of? the in- 
habitants must be immense, and their condition most envia- 
ble ; the Portugueze themselves, who reside in the mining 
districts, encourage this supposition ; and whenever they go 
to Rio de Janeiro, do not fail to make all possible shew and 
parade. But let us view them in the centre of their wealth ; 
and as a fair criterion of the middling classes of society, let 
us select a man possessing a property of fifty or sixty negroes, 
with datas of gold mines, and the necessary utensils for work- 
ing them. The negroes alone are worth, at the low valuation 
of 100 milreis each, a sum equal to 1,2001. or 1,5001. sterling; 



368 



APPENDIX, 



the datas and utensils, though of value, need not be taken in- 
to the account. Suppose this man to be married, and to have 
a family : What is the state of their domestic concerns, their 
general way of life ? May I be allowed to describe them 
in the language which truth dictates, without exaggeration 
or extenuation. Their dwelling scarcely merits the name of 
a house ; it is the most wretched hovel that imagination can 
describe, consisting of a few apartments built up to each 
other without regularity ; the walls wicker-work, filled up 
with mud ; a hole left for a frame serves as a window, or a 
miserable door answers that purpose. The cracks in the 
mud are rarely filled up ; and in very few instances only have 
I seen a house repaired. The floors are of clay, moist in it- 
self, and rendered more disagreeable by the filth of its inha- 
bitants, with whom the pigs not unfrequently dispute the 
right of possession. Some rhancos, it is true, are built upon 
piles ; and underneath are the stables, &c. ,* these are cer- 
tainly a little superior to the former. They are built so from 
necessity, where the ground is uneven or swampy; but it 
may be easily conceived, that the disagreeable effects produ- 
ced by want of cleanliness, must in these instances be increa- 
sed by the effluvia from the animals underneath, which I 
have frequently found intolerable. 

The furniture of the house is such as might be expected 
from the description above given. The beds are very coarse 
cotton cases, filled with dry grass, or the leaves of Indian 
corn. There are seldom more than two in a house ; for the 
servants generally sleep upon mats, or dried hides laid on the 
floor. The furniture consists of one or two chairs, a few 
stools and benches, one table, or perhaps two, a few coffee- 
cups and a coffee-pot of silver ; a silver drinking cup, and, 
in some instances, a silver wash-hand basin, which, when 
strangers are present, is handed round with great ostentation 3 
and forms a striking contrast to the rest of the utensils. 

The general diet of the family consists of the same arti- 
cles which have already been particularized in treating of St. 
Paul's. The only beverage is water ; and nothing can be 
more frugal than the whole economy of the table. So intent 
is the owner in employing his slaves solely in employments 
directly lucrative, that the garden, on which almost the entire 
subsistence of the family depends, is kept in the most mise- 
rable disorder. 

In the article of dress, they do not appear more extrava- 
gant than in that of food. The children are generally na- 
ked ; the youths go without shoes, in an old jacket, and cot- 
ton trowsers ; the men in an old capote or mantle wrapped 



APPENDIX. 



369 



around them, and wooden clogs, except when they go from 
home ; and, on those occasions, they appear in all their 
splendour, forming as great a contrast to their domestic at- 
tire, as the gaudy butterfly does to the chrysalis from which 
it springs. 

It might be expected, that however penuriously the general 
concerns of the family were conducted, at least some degree 
of attention and expence would be bestowed on the dress of 
the females ; for the test of civilization among all nations is 
the regard paid to the fair sex, on whom the happiness of 
domestic life depends. Yet the gener .1 poverty and mean- 
ness of their attire is such, that they reluctantly appear be- 
fore any one, except the individuals of their own family. 

In short, in all those departments of domestic economy, 
which to the middle classes of other civilized nations are ob- 
jects of expence, the Brazilians exercise the most rigid par- 
simony. At first, I was inclined to attribute this disposition 
to a love of money, which prompted them to avoid all extra- 
vagance; but, on closer observation, I was surprised to find 
that it originated in necessity. They generally run in debt 
for the few articles they have to purchase, and sometimes 
find it difficult to maintain their negroes. If they purchase 
a mule, it is at one or two years' credit, and, of course, at 
double its ordinary price. 

In such a family as that above described, the sons, _ as 
might be expected, are brought up in idleness ; they are 
merely taught to read and write ; rarely do they attend to 
the mining department; they learn no trade, nor are they in- 
structed in any useful employment ; f r a miner, perhaps 
an ensign or a lieutenant of militia, would think it a disgrace 
to put his son apprentice to a mechanic. Suppose the rather 
of this family to die when the sons have just attained the age 
of puberty. They are novv for the first time obliged to think 
of providing for themselves. Educated in poverty and pride, 
they have learned to think all occupations servile, and their 
own is generally so poor as to be hateful to them. If they 
agree, not to divide the negroes, it generally happens that 
they run into debt, and continue in wretchedness; if they di- 
vide them, each takes his course, and adventures for him- 
self, and in a short time, they are generally obliged to part 
with their slaves, and exist in indigence. Every useful pur- 
suit and every comfort is neglected for the sake of seeking 
hidden treasures which very rarely are found, and which 
when found are as rarely employed to advantage, but rather 
serve to increase the idleness of the owners. 

3 A 



APPENDIX. 



Few, very few of the numerous class of miners from 
which the above instance is selected are rich, few are even 
comfortable ; how wretched then must be the state of those 
who possess only eight or ten negroes, or whose property 
does not exceed three or four hundred pounds. 

Thus situated in one of the finest climates in the world,* 
with rich lands full of the finest timber, abounding in rivu- 
lets and water-falls in every direction, containing, besides 
precious minerals, iron ores, and almost every other useful 
product, the inhabitants of Brazil, though secured from ab- 
solute want, remain in indigence. It is true, the miner pro- 
cures his gold by great labour, but this need not preclude 
him from improving his domestic condition. Were his ho- 
vel converted into a house, his slaves better fed and lodged? 
and his family better provided for, his whole affairs would 
receive a new impulse, and every part of his property would 
become doubly productive. 

Negroes employed as Messengers, 

One description of men whom I have omitted to mention 

before, are negroes employed as messengers by the various 
chiefs in the Capitania of Minas Geraes. The men selected 
for this employment are the most trusty and able-bodied that 
can be found. Their letters are locked up in a leathern bag, 
which they buckle round them, and never take off until they 
deliver its contents. They carry a gun and ammunition 
with them to defend themselves, as well as to provide them- 
selves with food. Wherever they halt, they are sure of a 
kind and friendly reception, for nothing can exceed the cor- 
diality with which the negroes welcome each other. These 
men are trusted on very important missions, and are dis- 
patched to every part of the Capitania. On urgent occa- 
sions, some of them have performed journeys with astonish- 
ing celerity. I was most credibly inform ed, that one of 
them had been known to travel s^ven hundred miles on a 
mountainous road in sixteen days, though that distance usu- 
ally occupies twenty or twenty-one days. The men are ge- 
nerally tali, and of spare habit; they are accustomed to light 
food and long abstinence. 

Diseases peculiar to the Country, 

Of diseases, I did not hear of any that were contagious, 
except Psora, which sometimes prevails among the lower 
orders, who rarely use any remedy against it, nor will they 



APPENDIX. 



hear of sulphur, as they believe it to be fatal. Colds, attend- 
ed with fever, are the most general complaints ; but con- 
sumptions are rarely heard of. Among the miners, I saw no 
symptoms of elephantiasis, though that disease is so common 
in many other parts of Brazil, particularly on the sea-coast. 
The sciatica which afflicts travellers after long journey s on 
mules, is attributed by the people of the country to the bo- 
dily heat of those animals, which is much greater than that 
of horses, and communicates to the loins of the rider, occa- 
sioning almost constant excruciating pain, which frequently 
becomes chronic, and sometimes incurable. Being, on my 
return from the diamond district, much tormented with this 
complaint, I was naturally led to make inquiries on the sub- 
ject, and was informed, that a person in the house where I 
then resided, had returned from a long journey in the same 
predicament, and was about to undergo the mode of cure 
commonly practised in the country. 1 was desirous of in- 
quiring the nature of it, and begged to be introduced to him. 
On conversing with him, I found that his symptoms were si- 
milar to mine; he complained of great pain in the os sa- 
crum, and down the left thigh to the knee, which afflicted 
him most when in bed, where he could not bear to lie in any 
posture for half an hour together, but was obliged to rise 
and wait until the warmth occasioned by the bed was abated, 
when he lay down again. Thus he could get no sleep night 
or day. On asking if he had tried any external application 
as a stimulus, he replied, that neither that nor any other re- 
medy was of the smallest avail, except the one peculiar to 
the country. The operation was as follows : — The patient 
lay down on a bench with his back upwards, and a youth, 
twelve or fourteen years of age? knelt upon his loins, and 
continued to trample them (as it were) with his knees for 
about the space of half an hour, apparently reducing the 
muscles almost to a jelly. In a few hours afterwards, the 
part became highly discoloured, and had the appearance of 
being very much bruised. If one operation had not the de- 
sired effect, another, and even a third, would be had recourse 
to. It must be confessed, that this remedy, in removing one 
evil, occasions another; but the advantage is, that the latter 
is of short duration, whereas the former endures sometimes 
for life, and gives continual affliction. In some cases it has 
been applied with success, but, in others, it has entirely 
failed. 



272 



APPENDIX, 



On the Use of Mercury in the Mining Department* 

The Government of Brazil would find it highly to their 
interest to promote the use of mercury in the gold district. 
The process of amalgamation is so simple, that there would 
be no difficulty in introducing it generally among the miners; 
and it would save much time and labour in the last opera- 
tion of washing, or ss hat is called purifying. It is possible, 
also, that by the application of muriate of soda, some silver 
might be discovered in antimonial ores, also in pyrites which 
accompanies gold. 

Perhaps it may not be improper, in this place, to describe 
the method pursued in working the silver mines on the coast 
of Chili, which may be estimated to produce about a million 
of dollars annually. Some of these mines are full filty yards 
deep ; and we are told of one nearly as many fathoms. It is 
probable that they are sunk upon the vein ; and they are so 
ill secured, that they frequently fill,- and bury those within 
them. The ore, a sulphuret of silver with antimony, lead, 
and blende, is brought up on the shoulders of wretched In- 
dians, who descend and ascend by insecure posts with notch- 
es cut in them- They are total strangers to the operations 
of boring and blasting, and use only miserable hammers and 
wedges. The gang with the ore is, in some places, reduced 
by means of a large stone, ill-constructed, not unlike a bark- 
mill ; in others, it is reduced by hand, and, when sufficiently 
fine, it is washed by several operations in a slovenly manner, 
until the metallic part alone remains, which is. not unlike 
lead ore dust in appearance. This is formed into small heaps, 
perhaps about 100 lb. in weight, to each of which are added 
about JO or 25 lb of muriate of soda. This is triturated and 
worked both by hands and feet for three or four days. When 
the soda is judged to be sufficiently incorporated with the me- 
tal, mercury is used in the proportion of five to ten per cent., 
and is triturated until it loses its globular form ; to prove 
whfchj a small bit is rubbed upon a horn, or upon the thumb- 
nail, and if any globules appear, however minute, the tritu- 
ration is continued until they totally disappear 3 *. To this 
mixture the workmen frequently add filth, rags, &c. place 
crosses upon the heaps, and use many ridiculous ceremonies 
dictated by folly and a belief in necromancy. At length the 



* It would be interesting to enquire, in what manner the salt acts upon 
the ore containing silver, for without it the mercury has no effect. 



APPENDIX, 



373 



mercury unites itself to the silver, and forms with it a paste- 
iike mass, separating itself from the remainder, which is 
thrown away. This mass is put into goat-skins, and, by 
twisting and squeezing, a great part of the mercury passes 
through. The remainder is sublimed by heat, and is con- 
densed with more or less loss, according to the mode appli- 
ed, and the skill o%the operator. The little gold which is 
procured in some, of the mines on this coast undergoes a si- 
milar process ; afterwards, the remainder is melted and as- 
sayed. 

In this part of Chili, the state of society is wretched ; gam- 
bling is a general vice, and murder is scarcely deemed a 
crime. The greatest depredations are committed with im- 
punity, nor do the crosses placed on the heaps protect them 
from plunderers ; so that, when a mine proves good, the 
hop^s of the proprietor are often frustrated through the po- 
verty and envy of his neighbours. 

The copper mines of Guasco, Copiapo, and Coquimbo, 
are wretchedly worked, nor would it perhaps be safe to in- 
troduce other methods. The copper is smelted in a hearth 
with bellows and wood ,* and if, when it is run into cakes, it 
has the appear-.nce of copper, they do not smelt it again, but 
if it is so covered and intermixed with slag, as not to be 
known, it is broken up and undergoes a second smelting, 
when not unfrequently slag is placed so as to be in the cen- 
tre. These, and other deceptions, have brought the trade in- 
to great discredit. The copper is sold from eight to eleven 
dollars per 104 lb. It is considered a poor trade, though the 
Spaniards always think the Chilian copper, and even the tim- 
ber which serves for fuel, to be full of gold. 



EXPLANATION of the Plates of Crystals of Diamond, 
Topaz, and Tourmaline. 



DIAMOND. 



Fig. 1. — Primitive crystal, a regular octaedron, from which 

all the other forms may be conceived to be derived. 
Fig. 2. — Octaedron with edges replaced by four faces, two 
and two making such obtuse angles at a c, as sometimes 
to be scarcely perceptible ; and then it passes into Fig. 3., 
when the faces become so broad as to meet in the point b 9 
forcing a three-sided pyramid on each face of the primi- 
tive cr\ stal. 

Fig. 4. — When the angles at a a, Fig. 2., are decidedly 
marked, and the faces meet, as at &,.Fig. 3., a pyramid of 
six faces is formed on each plane of the primitive crvstal. 

Fig. 5. — If the edges of the primitive crystal be replaced by 
planes a a, an octododecaedron, or solid of twenty faces, 

. will be formed. 

Fig. 6. — If the planes a a of Fig. 5. be conceived to meet, 
as at £, a rhomboidal dodecaedron will be formed. 

Fig. 7. and 8. — If the planes a a a of Fig. 6. be conceived 
to be extended as in Fig. 7., or contracted as in Fig. 8 , 
they may be considered as six-sided prisms, terminated 
by three-sided pyramids, in which the terminal planes are 
set alternately on the edges c, d y of the prism. 

Fig. 9.— Sometimes the faces a a a of Fig. 6. are divided in 
the direction of the shorter diagonal, as shown in this 
figure. 

Fig. 10. — If the edges and the solid angles of the primitive 
crystal be replaced by planes, the crvstal (Fig. 10.) will be 
produced ; and if the edges be very slightly and the an- 
gles very deeply truncated, a cube will be formed. This 
latter is one of the rarest forms of the diamond. 

Fig. 11. — if Fig. I. be conceived to be divided parallel to 
two of the opposite faces of the octaedron, and through 
the middle of the crystal, and one of the segments be turn- 
ed a sixth part round, the form, Fig. 11., will be produced. 

The dotted lines in the first six Figures, shew the position 
of the nucleus or primitive crystal. 



APPENDIX, 



Topaz. 

Fig. 1. — A right rhomboidal prism with angles of 124° 22 
and 55° 88'. 

Fig. 2. — An eight-sided prism terminated at each end by a 

four-sided pyramid. 
Fig. 3. — A similar prism terminated at each end by two 

broad and four smaller planes. 
Fig. 4. — A similar prism terminated at each end by two 

broad and five smaller planes. 

Tourmaline. 

Fig. 1. — The primitive crystal, an obtuse rhomboid. 

Fig. 2. — A nine-sided prism, terminated at one end by six 
planes, and at the other by three. 

Fig. 3. — Shews the lower end of Fig. 2. 

Fig. 4. — A nine-sided prism terminated at each end by six 
planes, the broader and narrower of which are set alter- 
nately on the edges and sides. 
Fig. 5. — The lower end of Fig. 4. 

The ends A A of Figs. 2. and 4. are the seats of the vitre- 
ous or positive, and B B of the resinous or negative electri- 
city, when the crystals are gently heated. 



Directions to the Binder, 



View of Negroes washing for Diamonds, at 
Mandanga, on the river Jigitonhonha, in Cerro 
de Frio, To face the title. 

Map of author's route, p. 145 

View of the manner in which the bed of the 
river Jigitonhonha is laid dry by an aqueduct in 
order to search for Diamonds. p. 229 

Machinery, p. 284 

Crystals of Diamonds, Topaz and Tourma- 
line, End of the Appendix, 



